Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2012

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant part in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

"Vivid, deep purple-crimson; this is a blue-blood aristocratic shiraz, certain in its supreme power, length and balance, and not going out to prove anything. If anyone doubts its quality now, the scales will fall from their eyes over the decades ahead, as it will be recognised by all and sundry as one of the greatest Mount Edelstones. Drink by 2062.
98 points James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion"

"Deep red with a tinge of purple, the bouquet spicy, sooty and charcoaly over sweetly berry-like fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and drying, with a touch of raspberry in the mid-palate and fine-grained, dusty, smoky tannins on the finish. Good length; very good intensity. A very polished, elegant wine of perfect ripeness, which is fruit-driven. While its distinction may not be obvious to all and sundry today, it's undoubtedly there. There's no excess of alcohol, oak or ripeness: all the pieces are in the right place. (Footnote, after the identity was revealed: this wine's pedigree will emerge the longer it's cellared. I'd have full confidence in it.) 97 points, The Real Review (November 2014)"