The 2022 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon leads with spicy red fruit, dusty baking spices and layers of dried herbs, akin to bay leaf and oregano. The tannins here are profuse yet very fine. It feels leafy and earthy, medium-bodied and fresh. I appreciate the varietal definition and delicacy here. The cooler vintage that was 2022 has birthed a tranche of wines of great delicacy and "fluffiness"/freshness. They are wonderful wines—I like the vintage so much. Drink: 2026-2047
14.5% alcohol. First made in 1978, from the Henschke Eden Valley vineyard planted in 1966. The vineyard is on a north-facing gentle slope and the rows run east-west, with vertically trellised canopies. There are 25 rows of Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 rows of Cabernet Franc and 8 rows of Merlot. Each of these components are made separately and then after nearly two years in barrel the final blend is put together. It depends on the season whether the other varieties improve the quality of the wine. This has a lovely green leafy edge to the blackcurrant fruit. Very Cabernet Sauvignon with a slight warm climate twist. Nice sweet fruit at its core with some subtle gravel and chalk notes, showing elegance and nice fine-grained structure. Dusty and herby and nicely complex. Again, there’s a little bit of Barolo character with sweet fruit and taut tannins. This is lovely now but will age fantastically.
Subtly, vibrantly, shaded deep blackish ruby. There’s a strong mint streak here. It’s more angular with less in the middle than the panoply of single-vineyard 2022 Shirazes, though it’s a lovely back story. More of a wake-up call than the night cap presented by those 2022 Shirazes. But with the same long finish and carefully managed tannins. You don’t have to go looking for the acidity and tannin in this wine, which is the one for which I’m inclined to follow the advice on the back label of all of them: ‘Decanting is recommended before serving’. Drink: 2031-2040
There is a very strong case that this might be the best Cyril yet released. It was first produced as a single vineyard wine back in 1978 from vines planted in 1969. From the 1990s, it’s been coming from Stephen and Prue’s vineyard planted in 1988. In many ways, this marks a slightly different direction for the Cyril, although the essential D stylistic varietal expression remains strong. It’s a firm and slightly tighter wine of terrific linear structure with a bright, lively acidity, which in this vintage is particularly evident. The thread of blackcurrant fruit merges with a slightly dried herb and sage-like character. It is probably the most precisely focused of any Cyril to date, leading to its poise and defined, detailed finish. Surprisingly, in some ways, it gets just a 5% smidgeon of new oak with the remainder seasoned. So you are getting a clear window into the vineyard and the vintage influence. Drink: 2026-2061
