The Henschke family is pleased to announce the global launch of its revered 2021 Single Vineyard Release from the Eden Valley on Wednesday, 7 May 2025. This highly anticipated collection includes the 2021 vintage of Hill of Grace Shiraz, Hill of Roses Shiraz, Mount Edelstone Shiraz, The Wheelwright Shiraz and Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon.
As single-vineyard wines, production is limited by the size of the site and how the season unfolds.
The most precious and historic of the Henschke vineyards, Hill of Grace, is just 4 hectares of old-vine shiraz with the first vines planted around 1860. Cuttings were taken from a mass selection of these Hill of Grace ‘Grandfather Vines’ by Prue Henschke in 1989 and were planted as a 1-hectare nursery block, now producing Hill of Roses Shiraz.
The beautiful slopes of the Mount Edelstone Vineyard span 16 hectares and were planted in 1912, and The Wheelwright and Cyril Henschke Vineyards, are 3.7 hectares planted in the 1968, and 3.2 hectares planted in 1988 respectively.
Prue, a highly regarded botanist, environmentalist and viticulturist, has nurtured the Henschke vineyards and surrounding land with organic practices for the past forty years, and biodynamic practices for the past twenty years, dramatically improving the fruit quality as well as the vines’ resilience to weather extremes.
"This year we celebrate the 2021 vintage as one ‘Graced by An Ancient Land’,” says Prue. “The wines speak of the vineyards’ rich, red soils from an eroded mountain range, that have remained undisturbed in this protected pocket for over 500 million years.”
Metamorphosed mineral-rich sediments, or schists from the Precambrian period were originally deposited in a shallow sea, then deeply buried. Finally they were pushed high above the surface, where they weathered to produce a thick soil layer and the continentality of the Eden Valley region in the Mount Lofty Ranges,” Prue continues.
“The 2021 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade; remembered for complex wines with exceptional varietal expression, balance and purity, that speak of the ancient land from which they originate,” says Stephen Henschke, fifth-generation winemaker.
With a likeness to the high-quality vintages of 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2015, all of which were mild seasons, the 2021 single-vineyard wines show an impressive potential for long-term ageing in ideal cellaring conditions.”
The 2021 vintage will be released ahead of the minuscule 2020 vintage, which will be cellared for future release through the Henschke Museum and Rare Program. The 2021 single-vineyard wines will be released with four years of maturation, rather than five, however the Henschke family and winemaking team feel that this exceptional vintage has delivered a collection of wines that are approachable upon release, though they will continue to build more complexity over their cellaring potential of 30+ years.
“After such tiny vintages in 2019 and 2020, it is a relief to return to normal yields. The release of the 2021 single-vineyard wines marks our move to bottle all Henschke wines under the Stelvin screw cap closure. Sourcing locally made Stelvin closures and bottles helps us to minimise our impact on the environment, while at the same time ensuring the quality and consistency of the wines’ long-term ageing potential,” Stephen adds.
Henschke Hill of Grace, Hill of Roses, Mount Edelstone, The Wheelwright and Cyril Henschke 2021 will be available through fine wine retailers, restaurants and Henschke from Wednesday, 7 May 2025.
