Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon

Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon bottle image

Wine Description

This wine carries the name of Stephen’s father, Cyril Henschke (1924-1979), as a tribute to one of Australia’s outstanding winemaking pioneers, renowned for old-vine single-vineyard and quality varietal table wines. Cyril planted cabernet sauvignon at Henschke’s Eden Valley vineyard in the 1960s.

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Acclaim
"Opaque ruby. Powerful blackcurrant, cherry, pipe tobacco, potpourri and woodsmoke qualities on the assertively perfumed nose. Fleshy and expansive in the mouth, offering concentrated black and blue fruit flavors and notes of candied licorice, succulent herbs and vanilla that build in the glass. Gains energy with air and finishes on a bitter cherry note, with building tannins, solid thrust and impressive persistence."
— Vinous, Dec 2021
“An elegant, fragrant mix of dried rose petal, pepper and palo santo notes mingle with current and dried blueberry flavors on a polished, supple frame. Harmonious and detail-oriented through the long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.”
— Wine Spectator, Dec 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Eden Valley Vineyard
Soil composition
Sandy loam over gravel and bedrock with patches of clay
Elevation:
1,640 feet
First vintage of this wine:
1978
Average Vine Age:
30 years
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot
Fermentation container:
Traditional open-top concrete fermentation tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Fining agent:
Animal based
Type of aging container:
Hogsheads
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.5
Acidity:
7.3 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Residual sugar:
0.6 g/L
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Wine Production

Matured in 42% new and 58% seasoned French hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

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About the Vineyard

The lead-up to the 2013 vintage saw an early onset of summer, with occasional thunder-storms and only four heat spikes, into the 40s, over summer. A cooler than average January followed by a warm February, brought the predicted early vintage even further forward. Even after the dry-fecta of winter/spring/summer the word from the winery floor was that it would be another great Eden Valley riesling year, followed up with some great old-vine shiraz. Fortunately, a desperately needed 16mm of rain came, the first for nearly six months, at the beginning of March to help the dry-grown vines struggle through to full maturity. Cool drizzly weather at the end of March nearly brought the harvest to a halt, but with a return to the Indian summer conditions in early April, it gave us a chance to get the late varieties in Eden Valley over the line, predominantly cabernet sauvignon and merlot,
returning us to another great vintage of average yields and fabulous rock solid quality.