Details
In the Bottle
| Vintage | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | 66% grenache, 26% mataro and 8% shiraz grapes grown in the Barossa Valley. |
| Technical Details | Harvest Date: 9 March-16 April Alcohol: 14.5% | pH: 3.45 | Acidity: 6.3 g/L | |
| Maturation | Grenache, mataro and shiraz vinified separately. Matured in seasoned French hogsheads for 12 months prior to blending and bottling. |
| Background | Named as a tribute to the early Barossa Lutheran pioneers, many of whom carried the first name of Johann. Their toil, perseverance and conservatism in hardship has meant that the many generations that followed rejoiced in the riches of their prudent efforts. Barossa growers traditionally referred to their vineyard as their garden, from the German weingarten. This blend is just one of those blessings. The traditions and culture have survived to this day, including the winemaking techniques used in this grenache blend. It is produced from low-yielding, old, gnarled, dry-grown bush and trellised vines on limestone soils from selected vineyards. |
| Cellaring Potential | Excellent vintage, 15+ years (from the vintage). |
Vintage 2010. 23 January 2013, Chris Shanahan, Canberra Times
Henschke Johann’s Garden 2010 Barossa Valley, South Australia. Stephen and Prue Henschke’s sensational Johann’s Garden 2010 combines grenache (66 per cent), mourvedre (26 per cent) and shiraz from old, dry-grown Barossa vines. In a recent afternoon’s tasting with Barossa wine merchant David Farmer, it equaled JJ Prum's Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2007 as wines of the day. The Mosel riesling’s taut, acid-edged, delicate sweetness contrasted with the voluptuous silkiness of the ripe, spicy, juicy, elegant Barossa red. Most of the world doesn't know Australia makes wine this good. It’s a gem, delivering amazing drinking pleasure at a fair price a bargain, in fact, viewed against international competitors.
Vintage 2009. August 2011, The Adelaide Review
Lovely perfumes of cherry, plum and almost Provencale aromas of lavender, sage and spices. This is a lot of bright, complex and almost endlessly long wine. A result of great old vines and a fair amount of study and understanding of the genre. Well worth cellaring.
Vintage 2009. 1 April 2011, North Shore Times
Inviting, brambly, dusty bouquet. It is velvety on the tongue, with plump sweet berry flavours, some savouriness, just a tad of spice, and terrific length. For sheer joy and ease of drinking (very fine tannins), this is very had to go past.
Vintage 2009. 07 July 2011, West Australian, Blends and Other Varieties
Seductive, alluring and thoroughly engaging. It has spicy fragrances with a soft velvety-smooth palate with savoury spicy overtones. Super wine.
Vintage 2009. June 2011, Sunday Canberra Times, Chris Shanahan
High-toned, aromatic, silk-smooth blend. Grenache sets the tone, but mourvedre adds colour depth, spicy notes and savoury, taut tannins, while shiraz fattens up the mid-palate. It’s irresistible now, but should evolve well for 5 to 10 years.
Vintage 2009. June 2011, WBM Wine 100, Nick Stock
GMS blend at the brink of ripeness, yet delivering a compelling, spicy, dark-fruited wine with earthy complexity. A handy mix of soft fleshy fruit and sturdy tannin, some toasty oak building through the finish.
Vintage 2008. 01 September 2011, Australian Gourmet Wine Traveller, Nick Bulleid MW
Cloves, licorice and fresh earth. Good weight to the fruit and firm tannins to balance. It shows concentration and length.
Vintage 2008. October 2011, The Adelaide Review, Hot 100 South Australian Wines
Thyme and rosemary on the nose of this rich and delicious wine with good tannins and length. Deep black and brooding.
Vintage 2006. 15 October 2008 Issue, Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator
Offers red plum, blackberry and floral flavors…delectable balance that lets the fruit sing sweetly…91 points.
Vintage 2005. 13 April 2007, Nick Stock, Adelaide Review Food and Wine Section
This is one of the first 2005 reds unleashed from the Henschke Cellars and it's a stunning rendition of grenache, mourvedre and shiraz. The 2005 vintage played into the hands of these varieties, delivering full maturity over a mild finish to the season. Superb, pure and concentrated fruit aromas, plums, blue and red berries, spice and creamy oak, this is still a young pup and has plenty of development ahead. The palate is supple and generous with terrific integration, its fine dense tannins carry abundant flavours of ripe red fruits and spice. Here too, concentration and purity are the hallmarks, driving flavours bright and lifted through the finish. Do not miss out on this wine, it's worth every cent.
Vintage 2005. 28 April 2007, Max Allen, Weekend Australian
I have a big, moist soft spot for this delicious Barossa red - and have had since the first vintage in the late '90s. Once again, the blend of grenache, mataro and shiraz provides a rich, purple mouthful of spicy berries and a warm (15 per cent alcohol) but soft finish.
Vintage 2004. August 2007, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
Bright red-purple; vibrant and fragrant; light-to-medium bodied, but an intense and long spray of red fruits; shows just what can be done with this blend. Rating 94/100.