Details
We are very proud to release our first sparkling wine to celebrate Henschke’s 140th anniversary. In 1997 Prue and Stephen decided to select fruit from certain sites and clones which were just colouring, at veraison, for sparkling production from their pinot noir vineyard at Lenswood, rather than using these components for a dry red table wine. They had originally thought about releasing a wine for the millennium, however as the year 2000 got closer they realised that the wine needed more time to develop complexity on its lees. They continued to make the sparkling base wine in most years when the fruit quality was ideal.
With nearly 10 years of vintages on lees it seemed an appropriate time to look at a complex blend. Multiple vintages from 1997 to 2005 were blended in an assemblage-style blend in April 2008, as a mature disgorged non-vintage blanc de noir.
Careful selection of only the best fruit has meant that this is a very limited production wine.
In the Bottle
| Vintage | No |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | 100% pinot noir grown on Stephen and Prue Henschke's Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. |
| Technical Details | Assemblage Date: 9 April Alcohol: 12.0% | pH: 3.24 | Acidity: 6.7 g/L | Residual Sugar: 7.8 g/L |
| Maturation | Hand selected pinot noir was whole-bunch pressed, settled, cool fermented and underwent malo-lactic fermentation; the wine was subsequently bottle fermented and left on lees in bottle to age. |
| Background | Stephen and Prue Henschke, fifth-generation winemakers at the family cellars at Keyneton, selected Lenswood in 1981 as a vineyard site in the Adelaide Hills. At 550m, the Lenswood vineyards offer not only beautiful views over the traditional vine country but also higher rainfall and humidity at the right time of the year, cooler temperatures to retain high natural acidity, and still enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes. |
| Cellaring Potential | Celebration wine, drink now. |
29 November 2011, Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald
Henschke Lenswood Blanc de Noir Adelaide Hills NV, $50 Medium-full yellow colour introduces a sea-briney, complex, mellow-aged and slightly aldehydic bouquet. It’s lighter in the mouth than expected, with a firm finish that’s dry and savoury. The wine has individuality and character. 91 / 100
24 November, 2011, Sydney Morning Herald
The polar opposite to blanc de blancs, this blanc de noir is made from 100per cent pinot noir, which brings both richness and complexity. It's a potpourri of red berries, fresh walnuts and dry toast, with hints of crème caramel. Full-flavoured, rich and creamy, its exceptional intensity and piercing acidity carry to the finish.
December 2008/January 2009, Ken Gargett, Gourmet Traveller Wine
... Henschkes have released their first sparkler, the NV Henschke Lenswood Blanc de Noir (A$50/NZ$70). It includes material which has spent more than 10 years on lees and is full of raspberry and cherry notes, toast, spice and a hint of wax. It's mouthfilling yet supple and subtle & a wonderful debut.