2018 Mount Edelstone

Eden Valley

Shiraz

Deep ruby with ruby hues. Spicy, complex and dark fruited aromas of blackberry, dark red plum and blueberry, with sage, bay leaf, thyme, anise, black pepper, nutmeg and cedar. A rich, plush and beautifully integrated palate offers layers of spicy dark fruits, pepper, sage, musk and clove, balanced by bright acidity, excellent depth and long and elegant fine, velvety tannins.

$260.00
$260.00
$0.00
Deep ruby with ruby hues. Spicy, complex and dark fruited aromas of blackberry, dark red plum and blueberry, with sag...

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BACKGROUND

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to the small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant role in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Varieties: 100% Shiraz
Harvest Date: 21 March - 14 April
Alcohol: 14.5%
Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 27% new and 73% seasoned (77% French, 23% American) oak hogsheads for 20 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

VINTAGE

A moderately wet winter combined with average spring conditions meant that the vines grew well in the mild weather. Ideal flowering conditions in late spring/early summer led to the potential for near-average yields. Late December became warm and dry, ensuring healthy canopies with low disease pressure. The summer months of January and February were typically warm and dry, characterised by above-average overnight temperatures. The old-vine vineyards coped well with the warm nights, their deep roots able to withstand the warming and drying effect on the topsoil, maturing the balanced crops as autumn approached. March and April provided light and warmth to the Eden Valley which led to full and balanced maturity being achieved across all grape varieties. With warm sunny days and cool nights, the dry autumn guaranteed that pristinely healthy grapes arrived in the fermenters. All in all, the 2018 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade. Shiraz was certainly one of the highlights of the season, fittingly so in the year we celebrated our 150th anniversary of family winemaking.

TASTING NOTES

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to the small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant role in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

Varieties: 100% Shiraz
Harvest Date: 21 March - 14 April
Alcohol: 14.5%
Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 27% new and 73% seasoned (77% French, 23% American) oak hogsheads for 20 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

A moderately wet winter combined with average spring conditions meant that the vines grew well in the mild weather. Ideal flowering conditions in late spring/early summer led to the potential for near-average yields. Late December became warm and dry, ensuring healthy canopies with low disease pressure. The summer months of January and February were typically warm and dry, characterised by above-average overnight temperatures. The old-vine vineyards coped well with the warm nights, their deep roots able to withstand the warming and drying effect on the topsoil, maturing the balanced crops as autumn approached. March and April provided light and warmth to the Eden Valley which led to full and balanced maturity being achieved across all grape varieties. With warm sunny days and cool nights, the dry autumn guaranteed that pristinely healthy grapes arrived in the fermenters. All in all, the 2018 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade. Shiraz was certainly one of the highlights of the season, fittingly so in the year we celebrated our 150th anniversary of family winemaking.

99 Points
“Medium deep crimson. Intense blackberry, mulberry praline aromas with mocha sage herb garden notes. Superbly concentrated wine with deep set pure blackberry, dark plum, mulberry fruits, fine slinky tannins, attractive mid-palate richness and underlying mocha, vanilla notes. Finishes firm with chinotto, hint marzipan notes. Superb mineral length, vigour and extract.”

ANDREW CAILLARD MW, THE VINTAGE JOURNAL

99 Points
"Inky opaque black in colour, with a dark purple rim. The emphasis here is immediately on the focus and purity of the wine. Chocolate, licorice, beefstock, leather, sage, black olives, cloves, black jellybean notes and blackberries. Seamless, with cushiony lush tannins, soft as duck-down. Fine acidity, knife-edge balance and extraordinary length."

KEN GARGETT, WINEPILOT.COM

19+/20
"The nose sings of the Eden Valley with a sage and black fruit cocktail of flavours, and the texture is pure velvet. This is a cracker of a wine and a classic Mount Edelstone to boot, and it is already bafflingly precocious. But don’t worry because behind the exultant volleys of pristine fruit lurks muscle and crunchy tannin that will propel this wine forward for two decades and more.“

MATTHEW JUKES, MATTHEWJUKES.COM