Henschke The Wheelwright Shiraz 2017

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The Henschke family first planted vines in Australia in 1858. Now 6 generations later they have built an enviable reputation as one the world’s great wine families.

This comes from the Cyril Henschke vineyard, planted in 1968 and matured in 10% new oak (95/5% French/American) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending. A couple of special blocks of shiraz. 2017 is a great year for vineyard expression.

Closure & Packaging

Closure and packaging details for each wine are listed in the purchase form.

A NOTE FROM STEPHEN HENSCHKE

Screwcap is close to being the perfect closure for wine, however, it is not properly understood, as it should be, as a quality closure in some market places. Prue and I discovered the Vinolok at the Stuttgart Intervitis in 2004. We were very impressed by the high quality finish of the glass stopper and environmental advantages. It had won the European Innovation Award.

Not long after that we brought the first Vinolok closures to Australia and embarked on a five-year trial, conducted with the Australian Wine Research Institute, to do the due diligence. The quality of presentation, reliability and robustness of the glass stopper makes it an ideal replacement for cork. Red wine in a 750ml bottle ages under Vinolok as if it were bottled in a large-format bottle, it maintains its colour, aroma and structure over a longer period of time.

About Henschke

The Henschke family first planted vines in Australia in 1858. Now 6 generations later they have built an enviable reputation as one the world’s great wine families.

Today, it is fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke and his viticulturist wife Prue at the helm, passionately upholding the family name and reputation.

Being mindful of their role as custodians

Stephen and Prue continue to craft their white wines with a focus on purity, while their red wines have a strong focus on terroir, using traditional winemaking techniques.

“Prue and I are the current ‘keepers of the flame’. Just as earlier generations have done, we want to manage the vineyards and winery so they can be passed on to the next generation in better condition than we inherited them. The last 50 years have been an incredible journey for the Australian wine industry. Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone are arguably the two oldest single vineyard wines produced in this country that tell the wine story of Australia. Our vision would not be complete without the expectation that future generations will uphold and perpetuate our belief that such ancient and unique single-vineyard sites can produce exceptional wines that are prized for their beauty and rarity.”
– Stephen Henschke

The 2017 Vintage

A later start to picking and a mild period of ripening finished with the last grapes being picked in mid-May. A wet 2016 winter gave us a good foundation for our predominantly dry-grown vines on their own roots, and a cool, wet and fiercely windy spring followed, with a slightly higher spring rainfall than the Barossa Valley, which delayed flowering, though conditions during set meant that yields were at average levels. A mild summer with regular rainfall events followed, which allowed the grapes to reach full physiological maturity. The significant rainfall events largely missed our area and therefore we harvested the majority of our grapes in healthy condition. As always, careful hand picking in the vineyard and sorting of grapes as they were processed made sure that quality was not compromised. 2017 delivered a wine expression ‘graced by vitality’; a liveliness and capacity for long life that has developed as the result of an exceptionally long and gentle vintage. The 2017 wines are much akin to high-quality vintages such as 1992, 2006 and 2012, all of which were late, cool seasons and have shown excellent ageing potential in ideal cellaring conditions.

Where in the World is Henschke?

Henschke’s home base is in Keynton, South Australia. The main vineyards are in the Eden Valley, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills.