2021 Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz

The Mount Edelstone Vineyard, established in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas, features ancient 500-million-year-old geology that has resulted in deep red-brown clay-loam soils. These conditions lead to low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian Shiraz vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke, Mount Edelstone has been crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years and is considered one of Australia's premier single-vineyard Shiraz wines.
The 2021 vintage delivered one of the finest Mount Edelstone releases of recent decades. Following a cool summer and warm, dry autumn, the old-vine Shiraz achieved remarkable depth, colour, and tannin maturity. The result is a wine of outstanding purity, balance, and expression—hallmarks of this historic single-vineyard site. Matured 18 months in French and American oak hogsheads (9% new, 91% seasoned), it recalls legendary vintages such as 1986, 2002, and 2015, with immense cellaring potential.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews....
The 2021 Shiraz Mount Edelstone is a stunner, offering a tremendous mix of refinement and understated power. It is quite beautiful, although tightly bound right now, delivering a compact core of spice, bay leaf, and violets, while oak adds well-judged support. There is a balletic feel to the palate as ethereal flavors of measured ripeness are backed by firm acidity and tight tannins. This release is marked by delicious energy and overall lightness of touch—an exceptional vintage for this label. Drink 2034 - 2050.
97 Points
Angus Hughson - Antonio Galloni's Vinous

I used to live next door to this 109-year-old vineyard for nearly a decade and have seen the hard work and attention to detail that goes into its farming. The 2021 is an absolute stunner from a great vintage and I've no doubt that this will age gracefully for decades. The length of flavour with this release is quite something; the fruit is sleek, plush and on-point pure. Blackberry, Doris plum and black cherry layer with spice and hints of sage, bay leaf, pepper, olive tapenade, anise, violets and stone. Velvety and graceful in its flow on the palate with a fresh mineral cadence and superfine, powdered granitic tannins for support. It'll go down as one of the greats. Drink 2024-2054.
98 Points
Dave Brookes - Halliday's Australian Wine Companion

Spice- and earth-driven aromas of blood plums, cured meat, pepper, dried herbs and graphite. The palate is full-bodied with silky tannins and a creamy mouthfeel, giving notes of wild blackberries, black olive tapenade, mocha and licorice. Savory and powerful, with an underlying freshness that will age nicely for decades to come. Made from vines planted in 1912. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
96 Points
JamesSuckling.com

The 2021 Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz was planted in 1912 and was 16 hectares from own-rooted, pre-phylloxera James Busby vine stock. The first Mount Edelstone wine was produced in 1952, from 40-year-old vines. The success of the Mount Edelstone was the inspiration for the Hill of Grace single-vineyard wine to be produced from the 1958 vintage. The Mount Edelstone vineyard is planted at 400 meters in elevation and has an easterly aspect trellised to the Scott Henry system, capturing the morning sun and avoiding the hot afternoon sun. The wine is velvety and layered with raw cocoa tannins, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, raspberry and blood plum. This has all the concentration and intensity that we know and love of Mount Edelstone; it speaks clearly to Eden Valley as a place, with notes of sage, bay, crushed rocks and a cool minerality that drives it through the long finish. This is a superb wine. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2025 - 2041.
97 Points
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

“Mount Edelstone has been crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years and is arguably the longest consecutively produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.” It’s grown on vines that were planted in 1912.
This is a bold expression of Mount Edelstone shiraz with rich plum, graphite, woodsmoke and black licorice characters bursting through the palate. Woodsy spice and mint notes hurry thereafter to catch up. There’s force to the fruit and there’s force to the tannin too, the latter of which feels grunty and serious, if not yet fully resolved. This is a lifted wine, smoky, meaty and dark on the one hand, but while the nose is generous and open the palate itself has a brood to it, and a creaminess. All indications are that this is a wine with a long future ahead of it.
95 Points
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Mount Edelstone in 2020 was devastating for the Henschke family, the whole vintage went into the museum and wasn’t released, though the volume likely could be drunk by the family alone, as a plus. The 2021 returns with abundance and balance, a stellar vintage for the site.
Dark, brooding red of concentration but levity. A freshness and elevated spice amongst dark chocolate-berry/cherry, mocha touches, liquorice, sweet, turned earth and mahogany/cedary woody elements. Tannins are light then build into chewiness, the dust settling into swishes and pools at the conclusion. It feels like it needs time to flesh out, though it is balanced at present. Moody, meaty red of old school, good school feel. Drink 2030-2045+
95+ Points
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

Sourced from a 109-year-old single vineyard which brings its own form of Australian old vine class to the glass. It is both immediately friendly while also offering a sense of something deeper and more serious. I love that about Edelstone: whenever you taste it, young or old, it’s a friend. Ripe, sweet black and red fruits light up the scent accompanied by lifted woody spices, a hint of bitter chocolate, sage and earth. Opens up beautifully on the palate, in part, no doubt, to the quality of the vintage and in part to the quality of the fruit. Tannins are laid out fine and evenly integrated with a mix of 20% American and 80% French oak with just a light new oak (9%) component that contributes an extra degree of woody spiciness, especially on the finish. The ’21 holds a little more in reserve than in previous vintages, it’s tighter, no less friendly but boasts significant depth yet to be revealed. Drink 2025-2047.
97 Points
Jeni Port - WinePilot.com