1981 Henschke Mount Edelstone Museum Release Shiraz

Notes sourced from Henschke.

Made from100% old vine Shiraz. The Mount Edelstone vineyard was planted in the 1920's in a rich sandy loam soil on the eastern slopes of Mount Edelstone, meaning gemstone, near Keyneton, high in the Eden Valley region of South Australia. The 70-year-old dry grown vines are low yielding producing intensity of colour spicy fruit flavours, great complexity and palate length. Handpicked, made using traditional winemaking techniques and matured in small oak barrels.

The 1981 season will be remembered for the hottest, driest summer since 1939 which put the vines under severe water stress and which was only relieved by rain on the first day of autumn, this was then followed by pleasant, cool, dry weather which allowed our grapes to ripen under more favourable conditions than those experienced in the hot, earlier vintage areas. The red wines of this vintage not only displayed an elegant lightness but also retained their distinctive fruit characters and were extremely well balanced.

Ruby/brick red in colour, sweet ripe jammy, with plums, vanilla and coconut, hints of liquorice and prune flavours, showing leather development. Sweet, soft and fleshy, complex with good depth and length finishing with silky soft tannins. A very good vintage, drink now. Decant before serving.