HKWS Henschke Hill of Grace - A Definitive Tasting

[JamieBahrain]

Henschke Hill of Grace : A Definitive Tasting


7pm Thursday 7th of May

Whisk Restaurant,

Mira Hotel

Nathan Road TST




I'm very proud to be able present a unique tasting of one of the world's great Crus. The tasting is unique as the bottles aren't a mishmash sourced off the secondary market at auction in Australia, and plagued with a likely questionable provenance. Proper cellaring is only a recent practice in Australia, more often than not, the red under the bed has been lauded as a sound place to cellar one's prized bottles. The wines presented tonight have been mostly sourced from cellar door and professionally cellared since release, preserving the delicate and complex nuances of aged Hill of Grace.

Unique too, as recent media suggests, Hill of Grace is in a deliberate marketing tussle to be Australia's most expensive wine at release. Hill of Grace has moved on from being an Aussie icon in the 80's paving the way for old vine shiraz onto the world market, to a rarely consumed commodity in the 90's touted as an investment class wine, to it's current position as a luxury good individually wooden boxed as if a ceremonial heirloom. I was just offered the 2010 Hill of Grace from Henschke at $650 AUD! This is probably the last opportunity for the HKWS to present a HofG dinner with pricing sky rocketing and older vintages at auction often showing weeping corks and significant ullage.

Thank you to a very generous CK for sharing two bottles of 1980's HofG to provide a snapshot of what Stephen Henschke describes as the Young Turk era, a transition from his father's winemaking reign ( Cyril Henscke died tragically in 1978 ) and we get to share a few bottles from Barry Burton's cellar- including the poetic 1990 Hill of Grace, widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest wines !

Tonight, I hope we capture the evocative Hill of Grace. The vineyard of Gnadenberg, with the Lutheran church made from field stone standing guard over 150 year old vines planted by Silesian refugees, in sunburnt surrounds in an area that must have been called "Eden Valley" by hopeful pioneers. The aromatics, the amalgam of red and blacks fruits, the unique five spice flavors and the deft usage of seasoned oak; and the length and overall class of this wine should all be on show.

As we move through the vertical, the 1980's and the obvious class and longevity should be apparent. In to the nineties and the 1990 is Australia's vintage of the century and was the springboard for the upswing in attention and interest in Australian wine; though few ever had the chance to drink the 1990 Hill of Grace and hopefully tonight, Barry's bottle is singing. The 1992 Hill of Grace is exceptional, the 1993 a rare frost afflicted vintage and the 1994 is the Queens vintage! A wonderful wine deemed worthy of Queen Elizabeth on a recent tour though it's now $800 price tag has me scratching my head. We have the 1995, a tough vintage, though its Mt Edelstone sibling probably wine of the vintage for mine. The 1996 should be amazing and then some problems start. Brett seems to be an issue affecting some prized Australian vintages including the 1998. Nobody knows what really happened in the late 90's but lets judge the 1999! The 2002 and we are back on track, sublime Hill of Grace worthy now of its every increasing price tag?

Let's do something unique. I traveled to the cellar door to get the rare Hill of Roses available only to long term customers. Prue Henschke has done a vigorous replanting of the best clonal stock at the Post Office Block. The old vines are dying and we get an amazing look at 2008 Hill of Roses ( 20 year vines Post Office Block ) versus 2008 Hill of Grace ( including the 1850's Grandfather Block ) and having done this tasting before you get a look at young Hill of Grace wines versus the old; the differences distinct, the youthful energy of Hill of Roses versus the haunting old vine power of Hill of Grace.

Dinner wines will be the 2009 Hill of Grace and the 2008 Hill of Roses. A bottle of 1996 Henschke Mt Edelstone will be present too. To provide a quick look at the distinct differences for those who are interested.

Price: $2900HKD per head.

16 places maximum.

Reserve by mailing Jamie


Tasting:

1985 Hill of Grace

1988 Hill of Grace

1989 Hill of Grace

1990 Hill of Grace

1992 Hill of Grace

1993 Hill of Grace

1994 Hill of Grace

1995 Hill of Grace

1996 Hill of Grace

1999 Hill of Grace

2002 Hill of Grace

2008 Hill of Grace

2008 Hill of Roses



Dinner Wines:



HKWS Henschke Hill of Grace Tasting & Dinner
7th May 2015

Oyster Preles de Marennes, Elderflower, Tonic & Apple
Henschke Archer's Vineyard Chardonnay

Sucking Pig Pickled Vegetables & Organic Herbs
Hill of Roses, 2008

Wagyu Beef Cheek Black Turnip & Gravy
Hill of Grace, 2009

Cheese Camembert, Comte, Danish Blue with Fruit Chutneys

Inclusive of gourmet coffee or fine tea

[JamieBahrain]

Wow! These are undoubtably some of the greatest wines on the planet. It was an amazing experience to share my cellar with friends at the Hong Kong Wine Society with contributing bottles from CK & the late Barry Burton. I was very proud as an Australian as to how superb the wines were and how vigorously they were hailed by the group. We had a Master of Wine and two members sitting their MW and most of the group have enviable cellars and have consistently over the years drank the great wines of the Old World. The wines tonight were staggering in quality, even the brett afflicted vintage and the two bottles that had braved CK's Hong Kong lounge room cellar.

It's upwards and onwards for Hill of Grace - in price and world wide demand.


Preparation:

I'm fastidious in how I prepare wines, especially wines of this caliber that have for the most been purchased at Cellar Door and stored for decades in professionally wine storage spaces. First step was to stand the wines up for a week in a wine fridge at 13 degrees. Henschke wines throw a heavy crust and don't travel so well because of this. A number of times over the years I've sourced an old Mt Edelstone from the cellar and anything more than a short drive can see the crust shaken off the bottle and the sediment producing a texturally gritty mix instead of the silk throw mouth feel.

I live about 40 minutes from the action now in a beautiful country park by the beach. To counter the logistical problem of the wild taxi driver upsetting my bottles, I decided to decant all the wines first. Old wines 10 minutes max, gunk removed, bottle washed with treated water to remove crust and re-poured back in the bottle. From 92 onwards, 30 minutes air time with the exception of the weaker 93. The 94 got an hour but needed more and then the 02 onwards received an hour and the dinner wines were followed the same process but without the urgency - due youth and the fact they were to be re-decanted at the restaurant.



Standing tall !




Inverting the bottles to drain of any residual water. Prior to this the bottle heavily crusted, so much so that I needed maglite strength to see the sediment approaching the neck.



Work station !



The great storage fraud. They will bullshit you, those from withing the industry, about storage. But this here is proper storage. 20 year corks straight from cellar door to professional storage. It is a complete fraud what is going on and what is claimed especially from Europe.



A new wine magazine is doing a story on the dinner and sent a photographer to my place as they wanted to snap the un-opened bottles.

[mjs]

Jamie,

Seems to me that might almost have been worth a quick trip to HK!!

The story of Hill of Grace is fascinating when you see the old church, the old vines in the Grandfather Block and the various other plantings, certainly some very low yielding "gnarly old dudes" there. Altar wine indeed! A few of us did the VIP tasting a couple of years ago and it was a highlight (vineyard, winery and tasting). Interesting then to taste the Hill of Roses against the HoG as well. Not to mention the other wines on offer! Glad the night went well and the wines showed how great this label can be.

cheers, Malcolm

[JamieBahrain]

The Tasting:

I expected to lose a bottle or two to TCA. They were all fine and looked fantastic though I had a few worries with CK's bottles. Cork was virtually a sodden sludge and the color was too developed.

Wines were served simply- oldest to youngest though the order only confirmed at the tasting and discussion's end. Scoring was academic. This tasting was universally hailed as being one of the great ones! One seasoned member said none of his scores fell below 18. How do you rank such great wines?


1985 Henschke Hill of Grace- This was the late Barry Burton's bottle whom we toasted. The cork was great and Barry was famous for running his wine fridge quite cold- 11 degrees was bandied about. Anyways, this was a magnificent wine, the aromas were a mix of spice box, Chesterfield leather and hay; underneath this was tobacco and smoked bacon ( dare I say Schultz bacon from nearby Angaston ). One commentator felt these later notes were the positive influence of brett but I don't think so, I felt the meat/ bacon aromatics too complex and too different from those you'd find from brettanomyces.

The acidity is fresh and carries the wine magnificently on the palate in a velvety feel, loaded with supple flavors and a faint tannic grip.

95pts


5th for Me and 6th for the Group.




1988 Henschke Hill of Grace- I had grave fears for this bottle as its cork a sludge and the color browning a little too much when decanted. I am also a strong believer that Henschke is a critical producer to store wines properly to maximize the complex development traits of the wines- they aren't the brooding fruit power of the Valley Floor, they have another dimension.

OK, so WOW! Sophisticated and alluring caramel/coffee nuances with some tertiary notes in a black fruit/ camp fire scent. On the palate there is a precision like balance with tertiary and secondary fruit nuances gently rolling about each other toward and ultra-fine tannin supported finish.

93pts

10th for Me and WOTN for the Group !




1989 Henschke Hill of Grace-

Many 89's seem to have been built up by oak and this tends to work with old vine fruit- I'm thinking Stonewell, Basket Press MtEd and other stronger 89's. Here, despite the wine being overly developed there is a tertiary fruit magic, mixing it up with the remnants of oak in a sophisticated and alluring caramel/coffee nuances. I honestly felt the wine would be buggered but hey, out comes red fruits and leather, the red fruits so reminding me of what was great about Aussie shiraz before we started seeing blue fruits in the late 90's. Old vine richness in a fruitcake mix and olive tapenade in a delightful medium build with an echo of eucalyptus.

92pts ( well stored bottles would punch higher )

12th for Me and 7th for the Group.



Henschke Hill of Grace 1990-Deep scented, uber-complex and still evolving in the glass. Red fruits, gentle shades of black fruits and there's a sweet developed note to the fruit. Once again I'm enchanted with the 1990's overall poetry in harmony and balance- long finish with fine tannin & spice. Quite cerebral tonight and just a little lost in a tasting format- one to share with a friend.

96pts

4th for Me and 4th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 1992- Hah ! My Darwin bottle. Bought a case as young fellow and drank one. So found a cheap bottle soon after release in tropical Darwin and that the lack of an immaculate cork suggests this has been "up the track" in frontier talk.

This is a stunning wine which meets Stephen Henschke's "exceptional" rating and anyone who knows Henschke wines can attest that this means go long! The wine makers ratings are pretty spot on and most critics notes I read now, just gush and fluff about the wines in flowery notes that say nothing.

This has a powerful red and black fruit mix; with darker blackberry, dark violet notes with licorice and spice wrestling to dominate. And then comes a fresh breeze through a herb garden with sublime scents of thyme, pepper, spice and garden herbs. Completes on the palate with an aromatic carry through with a solid palate weight that doesn't have the finesse of the 90. Ultra-fine finish. A complete Hill of Grace- if in a more robust style.

95pts ( Glad my Darwin bottle held up well and in previous has punched higher but overall the wine is in the note portrayed above )

8th for Me and 3rd for the Group


Henschke Hill of Grace 1993- This was on release hard to get due yields being down due a severe frost. I have always enjoyed this HofG and it is lighter and less sturdy than most but possesses a Burgundian sophistication not all seem to see. Very complex aromas, red fruits, cassis and lightly stewed fruit notes combining toward sous-bois- quite piercing in its aromatic depth. Very delicate, light to medium bodied ( perhaps exaggerated in the company of the others ) which presents in a ethereal feel on the palate with an excellent length and flavor persistence.

96pts

3rd for Me and Last for the Group ( 6 voted it last which I think was a factor of its difference not its class ).

Henschke Hill of Grace 1994- This was served to Queen Elizabeth and received much hype. I noted it for sale a museum stock at the winery at an eye watering price. When decanted, I felt it needed more time. After the previous Burgundian experience, this was commented on being very Bordeaux. I don't feel the oak had integrated as it should have and it dominated slightly giving a hard savory base to the wine. Silky texture and coiled up fruit in evidence. I really think this needs a few years or more air time. Will have another look soon.

93pts+

11th for me and 11th for the Group.



Henschke Hill of Grace 1995- The 95 Mt Edelstone was the wine of the difficult vintage. It's just holding now. The 95 HofG still has some steam to develop and has eclipsed it's sibling in the longevity stakes and probably just pipped it for sheer enjoyment and quality. Spiced red and black fruits, earth and menthol. Similar on a good palate length, lovely ripe and sweet fruit notes and tannins near resolved.

94pts

9th for Me and 8th for the Group.


Henschke Hill of Grace 1996- This is the greatest wine I've had for many years. It has everything: complexity, power, persistence and balance molding a complete wine close to perfection. Utterly amazing. I have all the classic Hill of Grace descriptors in this wine. A compelling experience.

99pts+

WOTN for Me 2nd for the Group ( 6 Firsts )


Henschke Hill of Grace 1999- OK so here goes the bretty example but it was hardly noticed by Old World drinkers. It did occasionally dominate but in the end, the fruit comes out on top and the brett adds a positive dimension. Classic flytox, spice box, meaty red & black fruits that are harder edged than the previous. It has the long length of many of the 99's from the region with it's structure linear and defined. At times dusty.

Incidentally, I had the 99 Mt Edelstone the week before and the brett issue is not as pronounced as has been suggested. The 1999 Mt Ed was in fine form, not dissimilar to the 1996 just a tad shorter. Comfortably in the early 90's in points.

95pts +

6th for Me 5th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 2002- I decanted this wine and due the dark crust in the neck canceled the pour early. I was left with a big glass with a ham sandwich over lunch the afternoon before dinner ! With lunch I was overwhelmed by it's perfect texture- silken and adding its perfect fruit weight and structure it's probably 5 years away from being an amazing expression of the heights shiraz can achieve. It just started to open up for the tasting - textbook Henschke with red and black fruits, black pepper, mint chocolate, satsuma plum and bracken/ferns. Layered and lush palate, perfect delivery, perfect finish.

98pts+

2nd for Me 9th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 2008- Too young and HofG hits its straps just beyond 10 years when the youthful flesh settles. Good ripeness, not overdone, blackberries, blueberries, five spice and licorice. Oak spice and vanilla define the youthful French Oak. Very modern and clean, layered palate is still youthful with primary cherry kirsch and dark plum fruit. Long and marvelous. Needing time

96pts+

7th for Me and 10th for the Group.


Mesmerizing tasting.

[JamieBahrain]

Dinner Wines:

I didn't want anyone to go thirsty tonight so I included some Mt Edesltone from 1996 to compare with Hill of Grace 1996. Also, the Hill of Roses 2008 versus the Hill of Grace 2008, an indulgent vinous comparison.


Henschke Hill of Roses 2008 - 3 bottles. I feel the young vines of Hill of Roses ( 20 years ) contrast perfectly with the old vines of the rest of the vineyard ( 100+ years ). There's a nervous energy to Hill of Roses, an urgent vigor of all of what you see in Hill of Grace but without the haunting old vine depth of mysterious fruit. Meaty, plummy, fresh tar and spices, svelte but excitable palate texture, great length and depth. Easily a 20 year plus wine.

94pts+


Henschke Hill of Grace 2009- 2 bottles. Tough vintage but what consistency ! Red fruits ( plums etc ) & blackfruits ( blackberries, violets etc ) with tar and anise. Spices are beautiful- from the fruit or the oak? Hill of Grace is blessed with a natural fruit spice akin to Asian five spice or often its the deft seasoned oak handling. This has both. Not an expressive wine yet on the palate, but the fruit is there and it needs more time than most beleive. Long and fine grained tannins on the finish- as expected.

96pts+


Henschke Mt Edelstone 1996- 2 bottles. What a superb look at Mt Ed versus HofG. An exceptional and fully mature vintage which though blown out of the water by it's near perfect 96 sibling, provides a good educated look at the differences. In contrasting to Hill of Grace it showed a wine of exceptional class and character, incredibly long but without the depth and muscle of the greatest HofG vintages. This does not detract from the wine. It's world class and often looks better blind when compared to its famous stablemate.

At one sixth of the price of Hill of Grace, Mt Edelstone is worth buying every time you see Stephen Henschke award it an exceptional rating.

94pts

[Phil Wilkins]

Really enjoying these notes. Keep 'em coming...

[JamieBahrain]

Thanks Phil.

This was one of our great tastings and it was moving to share such magnificent wines with people who appreciated the occasion and the quality of the wines.

There was just no doubt on the night, amongst folks with profound vinous riches in their cellars and a amazing vinous histories on their palates, that Hill of Grace is up there with the greatest wines on the planet.

[ticklenow1]

You could always do one of these at Fingal

Cheers
Ian

[Mike Hawkins]

Nice work Jamie. I'm hoping to do a similar ME tasting later in the year

[JamieBahrain]

Thanks Mike.

I intend to do similar so will watch keenly how your MtEd vertical presents. I've drunk up most of my late 80's and very early 90's which is a problem. I've observed you have these so your vertical should be stunning. I'm gun shy of sourcing from auction- have another look at those corks when folks store properly!

[JamieBahrain]

G'day Ian,

Indeed. This is my last Hill of Grace event the rest of my stash is to share with family and friends as the wines are just too precious and frankly, they meet the price and hype expectations. They are 40 year wines for the most especially under vino lock and screw cap so a good proportion will be put aside to share with my daughter- or she can sell them when I pass and buy handbags as she indicated as a three year old. Some of my bottles historical curios that would probably get a decent price.

I'm not sure about your part of the world but certainly Adelaide is a great place to drink a few bottles if we can find a good restaurant with stems. I'm still fuming with 1918 and their piss-poor sense of occasion and glassware that ruined some pretty smart magnums. How the wines presented is so critical and no problems achieving here in Hong Kong but down in Australia?

[dave vino]

Brilliant tasting Jamie. I feel privileged just being able to read about such special wines and the obvious passion and belief you share for Henschke and Australian wine in general. Huge respect for your willingness to 'go into bat' for these iconic wines against the big guns of the old world, presented to what is probably a tough crowd. Bravo good sir, bravo.

[felixp]

as usual, a great read. Thanks Jamie.
sigh, I remember ordering the 1986 Hill of Grace at Schrarder's Hotel in Malvern in 1993, after a golf event..... we went thru 6 bottles of the stuff, which was magnificent even at that age, at the princely sum, in a hotel dining room, mind you, of $36 a bottle. And some of the guys complained about the price

[Mike Hawkins]

The 1991 ME was $14.40 and the 1990 HOG went up to $32 at CD and i remember thinking how expensive it was at the time

[felixp]

Brilliant tasting Jamie. I feel privileged just being able to read about such special wines and the obvious passion and belief you share for Henschke and Australian wine in general. Huge respect for your willingness to 'go into bat' for these iconic wines against the big guns of the old world, presented to what is probably a tough crowd. Bravo good sir, bravo.

but to be honest, would not have been that tough a crowd. In my experience, Honkies absolutely love Grange and HoG!!!
the smart part was cellaring the stuff, I drunk cases of both HoG and Grange in the 80's when they were both dirt cheap, and 99% of the wines I drunk were 20 years too young
I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: in the 1980's, both Wolf Blass Black Label and Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay(when it was released) were more expensive than the equivalent release Grange, and far, far more expensive than HoG. To make matters worse, I have to own up to purchasing several cases of both the Wolf Blass and Leeuwin, in preference to more Grange and HoG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[felixp]

oooops, I should also mention that,in 1982, the 1979 Mt Mary Cabernet cost me $180/dozen, and the 1976 Grange was $175/dozen. I remember that well, because I purchased both cases off a liquor store in Moorabbin, on the Nepean Highway opposite the Moorabbin town hall. They were having a huge sale.... I ummed and aaaahed whether to purchase two cases of the 78 St Henri or the one case of Grange, so I guess from that you can deduce Grange was twice the price of St Henri in those days. (if only I had spent the lot on Grange and cellared it!!! Still, the MM was good as it always was back then)
I passed by the scene a few years ago, it is now a mountain climbing clothes wear store.
The reason I remember it so well is that it was December 1982, and my university graduation day. Promised myself that I would spend $500 on wine the day I finally became a doctor, the rest of the 500 was made up of Tyrrells chardonnay, Baileys Hermitage, Drayton's shiraz and champers.... I kept the receipt for years after, but unfortunately it is now long gone.

[JamieBahrain]

Brilliant tasting Jamie. I feel privileged just being able to read about such special wines and the obvious passion and belief you share for Henschke and Australian wine in general. Huge respect for your willingness to 'go into bat' for these iconic wines against the big guns of the old world, presented to what is probably a tough crowd. Bravo good sir, bravo.

but to be honest, would not have been that tough a crowd. In my experience, Honkies absolutely love Grange and HoG!!!
the smart part was cellaring the stuff, I drunk cases of both HoG and Grange in the 80's when they were both dirt cheap, and 99% of the wines I drunk were 20 years too young
I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: in the 1980's, both Wolf Blass Black Label and Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay(when it was released) were more expensive than the equivalent release Grange, and far, far more expensive than HoG. To make matters worse, I have to own up to purchasing several cases of both the Wolf Blass and Leeuwin, in preference to more Grange and HoG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They can be pretty tough Felix. I was asked if I was going to do my usual and slip in the odd blind Hermitage or two to eliminate snobbery and Old World bias.

That said, I think what everyone marveled was the consistency in high quality across so many vintages. We have not seen this with elite Burgundy or Bordeaux. The lesser vintages were impressive- that 95 is looking like a long termer! The 93 is an amazing effort considering the damage to the vineyard.

Perhaps this tasting is a wonderful snapshot to the future of some current class producers? These shiraz wines were not ho-hum in the way they aged, they were not in anyway simplistic or boring, as they hold at maturity and just beyond, they were world class wines with refinement and complexity.

Thanks for your comments Dave and I'd just like to take my hat off to Stephen Henschke. Ok he's not being short changed with his wines but boy they are sublime and pivotal in standards and direction for great Australian producers in so many ways.

[felixp]

too true Jamie, the thing that really stands out for both Grange and HoG is their consistency.... as you say, even in the poor vintages they manage to make great wine. (possibly with the exception of 1992, where HoG was good but Grange ordinary)
But to be fair, both Bordeaux and Burgundy are in the cool-climate categories, and as such are subject to significant vintage variation, far more than in south Australia.
Never-the-less, their are some screamingly bad values in Bordeaux.... I recently had a taste of the 2011 Margaux and Mouton, and i would not pay more than $90 for either claret. (as compared to the 2010 versions, which are staggeringly good)

I guess you do have a tough crowd, as you might expect, given the standard you set!!!! But I tend to find both the Honkies and Mainlanders absolutely LOVE both of our two premium wines, especially Grange. I brought a 1991 Grange to a dinner party in February, in SZ, and the reaction from the other diners was that I had just brought along a pot of gold (older vintages of Grange are near-impossible to find on the mainland)

[GraemeG]

Nice write-up Jamie. I'm kinda surprised the 94 didn't show better; it seemed to be an especially good vintage for Henschke.
I've also found the 1990 a hauntingly gorgeous affair a number of times now; surprised it was so overshadowed here; although it's getting a bit variable these days.
My group has a Henschke dinner next month (although some previous iterations have left us less-than-impressed); but I doubt our dinner will be as 'Graceful' as yours!
I think they had a mixture of winery (brett) and vintage problems from 97-01 which are 5 years to avoid across the range as well.
cheers,
GG

[JamieBahrain]

too true Jamie, the thing that really stands out for both Grange and HoG is their consistency.... as you say, even in the poor vintages they manage to make great wine. (possibly with the exception of 1992, where HoG was good but Grange ordinary)

The 92 HofG is a case in point regarding Stephen Henschke's vintage ratings of which he gives it an exceptional rating. Right on the mark, a superb HofG, and I base my rare Henschke buys now on exceptional ratings.

I think one commentator nailed the tasting- the quality of the wines on the night showed a consistent evolution of a single vineyard Cru.

[JamieBahrain]

Nice write-up Jamie. I'm kinda surprised the 94 didn't show better; it seemed to be an especially good vintage for Henschke.
I've also found the 1990 a hauntingly gorgeous affair a number of times now; surprised it was so overshadowed here; although it's getting a bit variable these days.
My group has a Henschke dinner next month (although some previous iterations have left us less-than-impressed); but I doubt our dinner will be as 'Graceful' as yours!
I think they had a mixture of winery (brett) and vintage problems from 97-01 which are 5 years to avoid across the range as well.
cheers,
GG

Hi Graeme

The 1990 was a good bottle but the fruit wasn't in its usual mysterious shades. Perhaps it needed a little more air? I gave it hardly any. It showed its class and sophistication but on one side of the 90 you had tertiary and on the other side you had primary/secondary HofG from pristine bottles. It was just lost a bit in contrast. Great wine still.

1997 Mt Edelstone is a stunner and doesn't show bretty characters. Our 1999 HofG had some brett but noting at the levels you'd find in high end and acceptable Old World bottling- Beaucastel for example.

[felixp]

Jamie, I mentioned on another thread somewhere here that 1997 in SA turned out to be a whole lot better down the track than people expected. Many excellent wines from that year, and although I can't recall the 97 Mt Ed, your call does not surprise me in the least.

[JamieBahrain]

The 97 Mt Ed was a bit four square until a few years ago where it's come into a perfect balance and harmony across a good length with a good stuffing of plump fruit. Excellent! I opened a case to drink up but was happy to hang onto them as a comfortable hold. Wines cellared professionally since release the only caution here.