Mount Edelstone Shiraz, Henschke 2015

A very profound sage note here with wild brambleberries, bay leaf and subtle oak influence, cast across a green-peppercorn and mint-tea nuance with such bright red berries and plums. The palate has a super plush and elegant shape and fine, velvety-tannin texture with plush, long red plums. Such poise and elegance with length and concentration here. An exceptional vintage for Mount Edelstone.

This was the first wine sold in bottle ('52) by Henschke, although it has had to play second fiddle to Hill of Grace since '58 when the latter came on stream. New oak is only 22%, and the majority of the oak is French. The vintage was excellent, the flavours deep, with soft blackberry and plum fruits wending their way across the palate, cushioned by cedary oak and carefully polished tannins. It's utterly classic drinking, with unalloyed pleasure now but no less in another 20 years.

Outstanding old-vine Shiraz doesn’t need to shout to be heard. From the 103-year-old Mount Edelstone Vineyard, this opens to a mild, measured nose of vibrant red fruits, then a highly strung palate of redcurrant, plum, raspberry and blueberry with liquorice and wild fennel peeking beneath. A very bright, high-acid line keeps the flavours sharply honed, ensuring the slender palate line remains taut and prim. An earthy foil chimes in on the long finish.

While HoG has appeared in my 100 Best Report only twice, Mount Edelstone has chalked up four mentions (2009, 2010, 2014 and 2013 – in that order). This is a wine for which I have a particular penchant and this 2015 vintage is yet another cracker. The oak in this wine is completely integrated already and this means that, like HoG, there is an immediacy and allure which you normally have to extract from this wine by torturing it in a decanter and then finding the largest glasses you have and, excepting the fact that you will have a serious case of RSI, engage in vigorous bouts of swirling. I love the way in which the textbook weather conditions in the 2015 vintage have tamed this heroic wine. This is a dreamy, succulent, expansive Mount Edelstone with volume and silkiness and there is scintillating black pepper detail here, too. Without the inkiness and power of Hill of Grace, but with hints of red fruit in among the black theme, this is a more loquacious offering which does not stand on ceremony and gets straight to the task of romancing your taste buds. With more than a nod to the flavour profile of the epic 2010 vintage, this is a cracking wine and it is one of the finest I have tasted from this awesome single vineyard. 2022 – 2040