Henschke 1994 Horizontal - Ed,Cyril,Grace etc.

[JamieBahrain]

Repaying a debt to friends so put together a horizontal of Henschke's 1994 line up over a lunch, that lingered well into the night .


1994 was an excellent vintage for Henschke-the big gun reds all received 7 or exceptional vintage status from the winemaker.



1994 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling - An auction bottle and showing some tough times past, evidenced by the cork condition. Love the smell of napalm in the morning-burnt kerosene nose. Not the more pleasant kero aromas of the 92. Some clean acid on the finish did the job of palate cleanser.

1994 Henschke Keyneton Estate- The youthful, henschke perfume of blackberry,anise and spice has melded beautifully here. More fruit to the fore-plummy and dark fruits, earth and vanillan oak. Medium weight, well integrated wine. The dark fruit a layer on the palate-though not the complexity I expected-and maturation has seen the wine become well rounded by soft tannin and clean acid. Medium finish.

I found the wine more complex in youth with primary fruit and oak! A good wine but I expected better. There is no tertiary development yet, perhaps this is where the complexity will come in the future?

1994 Henschke Abbott's Prayer- The colour showing some development. The nose is a blend of plummy merlot fruit, pleasant cedar notes and pinot like forest floor. Soft berry fruit flavours, some pleasant vegetal notes with some grippy tannin. The finish is medium. Drinking well and iI would suggest consumption over the next few years.

1994 Henschke Cyril Henschke- A wine for the nose-sweet cassis, ripe plum, cedar wood and earth. Integrated, rounded,medium to full bodied wine, plenty of fruit flavour including cassis and berry. Very classy and smooth. Ultra fine tannin and clean acid. Drinking beautifully. I recall the length of this wine in youth-now mature, the mothfilling integrated flavours and rounded, sophisticated finish more the impression.

1994 Henschke Mt Edelstone-This wine must be decanted well. Clean, focused Eden Valley shiraz on the nose. Initially upfront fruit-plum and prune, aswell as a stewed fruit aroma. The air time blows this off and the superb blackberry and underlying oak comes into play. There is a tightness to the palate at the moment-plenty of licorice and dense blackberry fruit. The tannin structure is long, tight and focused. The finish is long and lingering, with Mt Ed blackberry and black pepper the lasting impression. Full bodied wine with 15 years ahead of it and probably a little early to be drinking-though my experience last year was the 94 had plenty of complexity and more approachability.

1994 Henschke Hill Of Grace- That sickening feeling when you pull and smell the cork-a faint level of TCA? Not sure I decanted anyway. Not the perfume of previous experiences, was it just closed? Decanted and double decanted. A big brooding shiraz-lots happening but just not right. Bigger and denser than the Mt Ed. Again some dark fruit evident, powerful but then dulled and not the hill of Grace perfume. Dense and mothfilling, closed and unrevealing palate with that ever so slight corkiness. The tannins were huge and out of balance-confirming my suspicion the taint had crippled the fruit.

Too late, the point of no return? My good friends were just happy with their first time Hofg experience-believing the wine closed and too young.

Murphy's Law-12 or so Henschke corks pulled in the last few days and the one bastard that was corked ( in the worst, most insidious way-slightly corked ) the Hill of Grace!

1978 Cyril Henschke- 1994 horizontal? The wine was recorked with the Henschke quality assurance programme in 1994.

The 78 was the first ever "Cyril Henschke". A commemoritive release in memory of the late Cyril Henschke.

Dark Red with tawny edges. Over time the wine did take on a more tawny appearence. Old claret nose with leather and spice, initially some stewed fruit but happily, very clear blackcurrant bouquet became evident-youthful almost. The palate has the aged tired earth and leather, but some sweet berry fruit still on the middle palate and toffee like aftertaste.

The texture of the wine silky smooth and carried the palate flavours, with the aid of soft, old tannin and some pleasant acid, combining to give the wine unexpected persistance of flavour. With very good length.

A remarkable old wine. The last glass was fading. Drink up.

A great day-night. Completed with a Henschke sticky.

Quality wines but I'm very happy my next delivery of premium wine-Kay's-comes without cork.