TN: Henschke Mt Edelstone 2002- Return To Form?

[JamieBahrain]

This is the 50th release of Henschke's Mount Edelstone single vineyard shiraz. The drive to Henschke is always worth the scenic trip via Truro Rd to have a look at the gnarled 70 year old vines.

It has been reported here that the Henschke's have noted higher than usual colour concentration in this vintage which they believe to contribute to vintage quality. The wine is opaque dark-purple with deep violet edges.

I decanted the wine for a few hours and initial aromas have meaty-vanilla notes coming out on top but there is a core of powerful, spicey, ripe-blackberry fruit. Completing the nose is a strong whiff of black pepper and violets, toasted oak at the end. The more the air, the more the fruit takes over with the oak becoming background and smokey.

Slick and comfortable in the mouth, the fruit is pastille blackberry, blackcurrants and the strong black pepper comes through in a dense package of multi-layered fruit flavours. The tannins are ultra-fine, ripe and build slowly toward a good level of backpalate intensity of blackfruits and blackpepper. Some generous warmth accentuate a very long finishing Mount Edelstone.

At nights end the fruit intensity increases, the tannins round and soften significantly, suggesting a contemporary, cleverly managed style peaking as suggested in 2012.

The style may continue to polarise some, old romantics perhaps, who preferred the long living style of a decade ago.

$68 at Cellar Door and bottled in stelvin.

92 points for mine but cellar door scuttle butt would suggest I may be too hard!

[TORB]

92 points for mine but cellar door scuttle butt would suggest I may be too hard!

Great tasting note Jamie but why the last line? Why does it matter what those at (any) CD think? Isn't your opinon that the most important one??

[707]

CD staff can be a bit insular and self promoting. If it's a 92 point wine in your opinion then it's a 92 point wine.

We'll put Jamie's palate to the test at the offline tomorrow night, looks a great lineup of wines, some classics and some real rarities.

[JamieBahrain]

There is a lot of excitement about the 02 Mt Ed gents. It rates as exceptional on the winemakers rating system and murmurs about it being the best ever.

My last line, in all due respect, was probably due my preference for the Mount Edelstone style of long ago and a little confusion as to why MtEd is made into a fast maturing, instantly gratifying style.

Lets face, you have to pay $320, for a Henschke wine to mature beyond 10 years. How has the MtEd faired since the change in style? Not without debate to say the least!

[fred]

Jamie,

I'm with you on the old MtE style which I preferred (but it frequently embarrassed Henschke when old MtE outperformed HoG at tastings with more than a decade of age on them!).

1994 is the last of the older style AFAIK, and have only tasted rather than bought intervening vintages...while watching the price rise. THere have been a few smart wines in tht time but the changed style - and the duds in between, have not been tempting.

Enjoy your time back in Oz...
fred

[707]

Fred, I agree, 1994 was the last Mt. Ed that I bought. There have been some pedestrian wines at ever increasing prices under the label since.

I'm not sure who's buying them but all of my associates have dropped them off the buy list long ago.

[Maximus]

I'm not sure who's buying them but all of my associates have dropped them off the buy list long ago.

Steve,

I'd better put my hand up here, guilty of buying Edelstone post '94. Given that my relatively young age precludes me from adding valid comments concerning the 'older style' Edelstones (having not tasted them, now or on release), I have tried the '99 and '01 which I think are both excellent wines (holding onto a couple of each) and also have the 2000 (which I anticipate to be somewhat of a dud) and the credit card ready for purchase of the '02.

The Qld Masterclass at the Hilton occurs in late July and I'm seriously considering flying over for it, given Stephen and Prue will be showcasing four decades of the Mt Edelstone in one of the afternoon sessions. As a lover of HoG, Edelstone and Abbots Prayer (haven't had Cyril yet), I think it would be a special experience to try some of these older vintage wines.

Cheers,