A good red/purple with little bricking. The nose was not as I was expecting (compared to other vintages of this wine) but showing extremely intense & complex black current (I mean so seriously intense it was almost off putting), rested meat juices, chocolate, creamy coffee & savoury oak characteristics. It certainly slipped down well though & without a rough edge on it with its ultra ripe black current, gamy meat & milky chocolate concentration but showing little in the way of acid or tannins. Finishes with reasonable length. An eye opening mouth-filling, complex & silky wine but all that sweet black current did put me of it slightly & itÂ’s probably at its drinking peak. 14.5% & my last bottle.
Phil
TN: Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 1993
-
Phil Wilkins
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 7:25 am
- Location: Cambridge, UK.
Ive been lucky enough to drink this wine only three times. All three times were perfectly cellared examples. To me it is one of the freakiest, most profound and amazing wines ive tried in my life. Whether you are a re wine freak or not, it is breathtakingly good juice.
I know Rossi would back me up here!!!
I know Rossi would back me up here!!!
-
David Lole
I'm with David on that note. The green asparagus kills the wine for me despite its otherwise sensational aspects. I think the more wines you drink with this trait the more you dislike them. To be fair I have come across this trait so many times in reds from the 93 vintage: Cullen and Mosswood among them (I can see the darts coming my way already). Many of my 93's went to auction long ago.
Justin B.
on this point i must strongly disagree and shake my head. What it takes to please some people.
Im sure I saw angels
1993 Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the ultimate wine. Flawless really in every respect. The nose is rampant blackcurrent. No need to bury you nose into this baby, you can smell it half a room away. The palate is pure blackcurrant, totally fruit driven but with an amazing complexity and precision. Shows a fantastic elegant classy frame. Awesome length on the finish. Wine really doesnÂ’t come any better than this. A glorious, profound and freakish wine. 07/02 $120 19.75/20
but hey, I agree send them to auction. flood the market with them. send them to webbs or fitzies in auckland....give them a new home
C.
Im sure I saw angels
1993 Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the ultimate wine. Flawless really in every respect. The nose is rampant blackcurrent. No need to bury you nose into this baby, you can smell it half a room away. The palate is pure blackcurrant, totally fruit driven but with an amazing complexity and precision. Shows a fantastic elegant classy frame. Awesome length on the finish. Wine really doesnÂ’t come any better than this. A glorious, profound and freakish wine. 07/02 $120 19.75/20
but hey, I agree send them to auction. flood the market with them. send them to webbs or fitzies in auckland....give them a new home
C.
Awwwwwww Guys ........
Now I'm really confused.
I have one bottle of this in the cellar and am waiting for a special occasion. Now I have no idea what to do. The bottle was given as a gift by a friend and shall be shared with them when the time arrives. I have a 93 Mt Edelstone with it and was planning them both together for a memorable night but now I don't know what to do
If anyone else has tried this recently, please let us know so I can be put out of the misery.
I'm hoping there's a bit of bottle variation about and I manage to get a bottle like the one Craig had.
BA
Now I'm really confused.
I have one bottle of this in the cellar and am waiting for a special occasion. Now I have no idea what to do. The bottle was given as a gift by a friend and shall be shared with them when the time arrives. I have a 93 Mt Edelstone with it and was planning them both together for a memorable night but now I don't know what to do
If anyone else has tried this recently, please let us know so I can be put out of the misery.
I'm hoping there's a bit of bottle variation about and I manage to get a bottle like the one Craig had.
BA
-
David Lole
Craig(NZ) wrote:on this point i must strongly disagree and shake my head. What it takes to please some people.
Im sure I saw angels
1993 Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the ultimate wine. Flawless really in every respect. The nose is rampant blackcurrent. No need to bury you nose into this baby, you can smell it half a room away. The palate is pure blackcurrant, totally fruit driven but with an amazing complexity and precision. Shows a fantastic elegant classy frame. Awesome length on the finish. Wine really doesnÂ’t come any better than this. A glorious, profound and freakish wine. 07/02 $120 19.75/20
but hey, I agree send them to auction. flood the market with them. send them to webbs or fitzies in auckland....give them a new home
C.
Fair call, Craig. Have you tried one since 7/02, though?
This is obviously just a difference in palates, remember the is no right or wrong in wine just personal preference.
For what it's worth, I belong to a group of eight tasters who play options to a theme every fortnight. If the theme suits 93 Cyril it invariably gets brought along by someone and invariably wins. It is just great wine although pushing the envelope with its characteristics for some.
If you love, keep on drinking it, it's flying at present and will hold a good while yet.
If you don't like it, find it a new home coz that's what it's all about folks.
Have a look at 93 Balnaves Cabernet and 93 Leconfield if you want another couple of rippers in that flavour spectrum.
Cheers - Steve
For what it's worth, I belong to a group of eight tasters who play options to a theme every fortnight. If the theme suits 93 Cyril it invariably gets brought along by someone and invariably wins. It is just great wine although pushing the envelope with its characteristics for some.
If you love, keep on drinking it, it's flying at present and will hold a good while yet.
If you don't like it, find it a new home coz that's what it's all about folks.
Have a look at 93 Balnaves Cabernet and 93 Leconfield if you want another couple of rippers in that flavour spectrum.
Cheers - Steve
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
-
Aussie Johns
I was so flabbergasted by some of the replies on this thread, I grabbed a bottle of this wine from the cellar for last night's lamb chops.
As best as I can tell, it is my fourth of the dozen purchased upon release. My previous notes indicated a good wine, but nothing special. Sure enough, last night, it was again a good wine, but nothing special. Not overly complex, well-made, and not a bad value at the purchase price of $55.
As far as Cyril's go, this vintage remains very much in the shadow of its great older brother, the 1991 (94pts) and its little brother, the 1994 (92pts)
1993 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour remains predominantly dark claret, with a hint of bricking at the rim. Nose of dark fruits, even a touch of ribena, with green olives in the background. Palate longish, with currants again dominant. Still primary flavours, this has a way to go yet, and the score may well improve with time.
Drink: 2008-2018.............................89pts
Amazing how different our perceptions of this wine are. Vive la difference!!
As best as I can tell, it is my fourth of the dozen purchased upon release. My previous notes indicated a good wine, but nothing special. Sure enough, last night, it was again a good wine, but nothing special. Not overly complex, well-made, and not a bad value at the purchase price of $55.
As far as Cyril's go, this vintage remains very much in the shadow of its great older brother, the 1991 (94pts) and its little brother, the 1994 (92pts)
1993 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour remains predominantly dark claret, with a hint of bricking at the rim. Nose of dark fruits, even a touch of ribena, with green olives in the background. Palate longish, with currants again dominant. Still primary flavours, this has a way to go yet, and the score may well improve with time.
Drink: 2008-2018.............................89pts
Amazing how different our perceptions of this wine are. Vive la difference!!
-
Craig(NZ).
I think the 07/02 should be 07/03 - mistake. that was the last bottle of mine. drank also 02/01 and sometime a couple of years before that.
stuck with half a doz of them still?? gee if i lived close by id pay you a good price for a couple hehe
Its too expensive for me to buy now. have 94 and 96 but after that my life came a bit more balanced (translation: i had kids that suck my money in other directions)
Anyway its an opinion i will never budge from..93 Cyril is a great aussie drop.
stuck with half a doz of them still?? gee if i lived close by id pay you a good price for a couple hehe
Its too expensive for me to buy now. have 94 and 96 but after that my life came a bit more balanced (translation: i had kids that suck my money in other directions)
Anyway its an opinion i will never budge from..93 Cyril is a great aussie drop.
-
kenzo as guest
I had one of these late Feb around my birthday, coupled with a 96 HoG and a number of other top drops. Hammered on good juice with great food and company - can't think of too many better ways to pass the time.
This wine to me was nowhere near decline, and improved in the decanter and glass over a period of several hours as our guitar playing got worse and worse...
FWIW I can see how some people might be put off by this wine. It's not really complex, just an powerful beam of flavour that amazes with its concentration without being unbalanced or syrupy at all. I agree with the posters above who say that this is an extreme wine - it is indeed an amazingly overt expression of cabernet, that I found to be almost pure cassis essence with the usual Henschke flavours that could be off-putting for some. I've heard this referred to as "flytox". It's almost like an over-extracted cabernet flavour. I can imagine that the flavour profile could be construed as green for some bottles or some palates, but I did not get this with any of the bottles I've had. If you think about wines like the 1980 St George, I think the Cyril is not in the capsicum spectrum. For DMS in my dictionary, it says "see 1996 Rosemount SR Cabernet" or words to that effect
If anything the only thing I would fault in the wine is the fact that it isn't overly complex at the moment, just singularly pure in the direction it chooses to go.
Different wines for different 'strines I guess!
This wine to me was nowhere near decline, and improved in the decanter and glass over a period of several hours as our guitar playing got worse and worse...
FWIW I can see how some people might be put off by this wine. It's not really complex, just an powerful beam of flavour that amazes with its concentration without being unbalanced or syrupy at all. I agree with the posters above who say that this is an extreme wine - it is indeed an amazingly overt expression of cabernet, that I found to be almost pure cassis essence with the usual Henschke flavours that could be off-putting for some. I've heard this referred to as "flytox". It's almost like an over-extracted cabernet flavour. I can imagine that the flavour profile could be construed as green for some bottles or some palates, but I did not get this with any of the bottles I've had. If you think about wines like the 1980 St George, I think the Cyril is not in the capsicum spectrum. For DMS in my dictionary, it says "see 1996 Rosemount SR Cabernet" or words to that effect
If anything the only thing I would fault in the wine is the fact that it isn't overly complex at the moment, just singularly pure in the direction it chooses to go.
Different wines for different 'strines I guess!
-
gary w
i think that pure intense blackcurrent is a very sure sign of DMS (think Virgin Hills).Capsicum is pyrazine. I like the DMS character very much so long as the wine has some presence on the palate. Have not tried the '93 Cyril but sounds like I would love it. The '96 Rosemount Show is a rotten wine. All oak and capsicum from memory. Yuk.
GW
GW
-
kenzo as guest
DMS
i think that pure intense blackcurrent is a very sure sign of DMS (think Virgin Hills).Capsicum is pyrazine. I like the DMS character very much so long as the wine has some presence on the palate. Have not tried the '93 Cyril but sounds like I would love it. The '96 Rosemount Show is a rotten wine. All oak and capsicum from memory. Yuk.
GW
I've never gone to a tasting and had someone point out in a wine "that's DMS", but from what I've read (primarily from Halliday's reviews) I've always thought DMS characters were excessive green and sweetness; squashed peas and mollasses. I've struck this a few times, most recently in the 2000 Hamiltons Marion Vineyard, and the 2002 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot.
2002 Cabernet-Merlot The nose is a strong mix of squashed peas and varnish, then burnt capsicum – something wrong here. The palate is virtually non-existent. At least the straight Cabernet is next…
Cheers
Ian
-
Gary W
Re: DMS
n4sir wrote:i think that pure intense blackcurrent is a very sure sign of DMS (think Virgin Hills).Capsicum is pyrazine. I like the DMS character very much so long as the wine has some presence on the palate. Have not tried the '93 Cyril but sounds like I would love it. The '96 Rosemount Show is a rotten wine. All oak and capsicum from memory. Yuk.
GW
I've never gone to a tasting and had someone point out in a wine "that's DMS", but from what I've read (primarily from Halliday's reviews) I've always thought DMS characters were excessive green and sweetness; squashed peas and mollasses. I've struck this a few times, most recently in the 2000 Hamiltons Marion Vineyard, and the 2002 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot.2002 Cabernet-Merlot The nose is a strong mix of squashed peas and varnish, then burnt capsicum – something wrong here. The palate is virtually non-existent. At least the straight Cabernet is next…
Cheers
Ian
DMS is an unnaturally sweet smell. like sweet stewed blackcurrents or tinned sweet corn (i like this one) or yes tinned peas...but it manifests itself in many ways...can be quince or truffly smells too if heavy. It is a sulphide problem but only in large doses. Forget capsicum it is not that smell. That is methoxypyrazine. Sweet blackcurrent can also be EA as well. Varnish should also be part of the VA group..,most like like what you are smelling is EA....least that is my opinion.
GW
-
Guest
N4sir, the Hamilton Marion Vineyard is quite unique in the flavours it produces and I've never seen a wine polarise opinions so extremely, extreme love or extreme hate. A scribe once described the 97 as a "reeking of sump oil and cowshed" and every vintage seems similar.
What the characteristics are called or how they are produced, who carres, everyone should try a bottle of this rare history at least once.
Ed
What the characteristics are called or how they are produced, who carres, everyone should try a bottle of this rare history at least once.
Ed
-
David Lole
Excessive DMS is manifested by GW's, let's say, "Ribena "blackcurrant and asparagus. I don't mind some of this character, e.g. the '85 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz, but not when it asserts itself with overt asparagus (on both nose and palate) as was the last bottle of '93 Cyril I tried recently. From the above threads there must be bottle variation out there - you just couldn't miss this as a descriptor from my bottle.
The note I posted recently on the '94 Cyril has asparagus on the nose in spades at first, but didn't spoil the wine, as it dissipated in intensity with air. The palate was near-perfect in every respect.
The note I posted recently on the '94 Cyril has asparagus on the nose in spades at first, but didn't spoil the wine, as it dissipated in intensity with air. The palate was near-perfect in every respect.
Hamiltons Marion Vineyard
N4sir, the Hamilton Marion Vineyard is quite unique in the flavours it produces and I've never seen a wine polarise opinions so extremely, extreme love or extreme hate. A scribe once described the 97 as a "reeking of sump oil and cowshed" and every vintage seems similar.
What the characteristics are called or how they are produced, who carres, everyone should try a bottle of this rare history at least once.
Ed
I agree with you that the 1997 and 1998 Marion Vineyard wines were little gems, some of the best old-vine Grenache-Shiraz blends I have tried. That's what makes the characters in the 2000 vintage so atypical.
Some of the descriptors I've got written down about the 1997 and 1998 wines include beetroot, diesel, game, celery dusted in white pepper, mint, raspberry, dark chocolate, chalk, etc.
When we tried the range at Hamiltons CD last month, everything was available except the 2000 Marion vineyard. When I asked about that, the Host had opened up two earlier in the day and put them aside, as he didn't like how the wines were showing. He poured a sample to get our opinions, and we came up with the squashed peas descriptions. He thought it was more like boiled cabbage, but it was unanimous something really wasn't right.
Cheers
Ian