Henschke, Mount Edelstone Shiraz, Eden Valley 2018 - 75cl

Mount Edelstone lives in the shadow of Henschke's Hill of Grace, but on its own terms it is one of Australia's great single-vineyard Shiraz. The fruit comes from dry-grown vines planted in 1912 on a gentle Eden Valley slope, farmed by the same family since 1868. Higher and cooler than the Barossa floor below, Eden Valley gives Shiraz that is fragrant and peppery rather than sheer brawn.

The 2018 vintage was a beauty in South Australia, and it shows. Pour it and you get dark plum and blackberry, then black pepper, star anise and a savoury lift of sage and bay. Time in French and American oak adds cedar and a fine grain of spice without burying the fruit. On the palate it is deep and beautifully composed — concentrated dark fruit, powdery fine tannins, a line of acidity keeping everything fresh, and a finish that carries on well after you have swallowed.

This is a wine with a long life ahead of it. Drink a bottle now to see where it is going, and put a few away for the next decade and beyond.

How to Serve

Serve at 16–18°C. Young and structured as it is, give it an hour in a decanter — it rewards the air.

Where to Drink It

A wine for a proper table: Scott's in Mayfair, the grill at The Wolseley, or Brat in Shoreditch where the fire-cooked meats suit it perfectly.

Food Pairings

Made for roast lamb studded with rosemary, or a rare-cooked ribeye. A wedge of aged hard cheese and a bit of quiet works just as well.