Henschke

Keyneton Euphonium

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium bottle image
Henschke Keyneton Euphonium bottle image

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Henschke

Keyneton Euphonium

The Barossa hills village of Keyneton, pioneered by pastoralist Joseph Keynes in 1842, was a musical and cultural focus for the early settlers, and was home to the Henschke Family Brass Band and the Henschke winery. The Henschke Family Band was founded in 1888 by Paul Gotthard Henschke and later led by third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke, and featured wonderful wind instruments such as a B flat euphonium, cornet and E flat clarinet. The B flat euphonium, a large brass wind instrument, was made by the famous Zimmermann factory in Leipzig, Germany, in the late 19th century. The instruments were imported by musical entrepreneur, Carl Engel of Adelaide in the late 1900s and have been lovingly restored and remain in the Henschke family

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Wine Production

Matured in 20% new and 80% seasoned French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Tasting Notes

Deep crimson with garnet hues. Enticing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and cassis are enveloped by herbal notes of sage and bay leaf that lead to subtle nuances of red fruits, black pepper, vanilla and cedar. A generous palate offers rich flavours of red and blackcurrant, dried herbs and black pepper, with great purity, balance and texture forming a delicious mouthfeel, while velvety tannins provide great length and complexity.  

Food Pairing

Roasted Cowra lamb rack, eggplant, olives and preserved lemon.

The Barossa hills village of Keyneton, pioneered by pastoralist Joseph Keynes in 1842, was a musical and cultural focus for the early settlers, and was home to the Henschke Family Brass Band and the Henschke winery. The Henschke Family Band was founded in 1888 by Paul Gotthard Henschke and later led by third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke, and featured wonderful wind instruments such as a B flat euphonium, cornet and E flat clarinet. The B flat euphonium, a large brass wind instrument, was made by the famous Zimmermann factory in Leipzig, Germany, in the late 19th century. The instruments were imported by musical entrepreneur, Carl Engel of Adelaide in the late 1900s and have been lovingly restored and remain in the Henschke family

All Products →

Wine Production

Matured in 20% new and 80% seasoned French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Tasting Notes

Deep crimson with garnet hues. Enticing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and cassis are enveloped by herbal notes of sage and bay leaf that lead to subtle nuances of red fruits, black pepper, vanilla and cedar. A generous palate offers rich flavours of red and blackcurrant, dried herbs and black pepper, with great purity, balance and texture forming a delicious mouthfeel, while velvety tannins provide great length and complexity.  

Food Pairing

Roasted Cowra lamb rack, eggplant, olives and preserved lemon.

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Download Bottle Shot Download Acclaim Linkout
95
POINTS
“Despite 63% of the blend being Shiraz, Keyneton’s Bordeaux brethren add plenty of personality to the mix. It’s on the quiet and broody side, but with aeration quickly opens to reveal layers of complex aromas: pencil lead, beetroot, sage, plums and a brambly red-berry note with a dusting of cocoa powder. There’s power to the palate in the form of chalky, well-sculpted tannins, but it never feels chunky or overtly heavy thanks to a wonderful line of acidity and tons of flavor.” (Cellar Selection) 
Wine Enthusiast
95
POINTS
Luscious dark cherry and plum fruit, along with complexing notes of baking spice, liquorice and woody herbs. Dense and chewy at first, then a burst of acidity and a note of blood orange lift the finish and help it endure for a surprisingly long time.
Decanter
95
POINTS
Spice- and earth-driven aromas of dark cherries, blood plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs and cured meat. The palate is full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins, giving notes of licorice, mulberries, pepper, mocha and ferric earth. A seamlessly integrated blend of mostly shiraz with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot.
James Suckling
95
POINTS
Spice- and earth-driven aromas of dark cherries, blood plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs and cured meat. The palate is full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins, giving notes of licorice, mulberries, pepper, mocha and ferric earth. A seamlessly integrated blend of mostly shiraz with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot.
James Suckling
95
POINTS
Spice- and earth-driven aromas of dark cherries, blood plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs and cured meat. The palate is full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins, giving notes of licorice, mulberries, pepper, mocha and ferric earth. A seamlessly integrated blend of mostly shiraz with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot.
James Suckling
94
POINTS
“A seamless blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot; each variety laying down their individual characteristics for the good of the great whole. There is excellent length of flavour here, with plummy merlot flesh, spice, sage and density from the shiraz, gently flecked blackberry tones from the cabernet and the liminal leafy edge of the franc. A bright, minerally cadence and long, black-fruited finish wrap things up from this very strong vintage.”
James Halliday
93
POINTS
A dense red, with succulence to its spiced plum preserves, salted black licorice, black pepper and bittersweet chocolate, plus accents of malty Assam black tea and dried cherry. Plenty of spice, tobacco and cedar grace notes linger.
Wine Spectator
93
POINTS
A dense red, with succulence to its spiced plum preserves, salted black licorice, black pepper and bittersweet chocolate, plus accents of malty Assam black tea and dried cherry. Plenty of spice, tobacco and cedar grace notes linger.
Wine Spectator
92
POINTS
The 2021 Keyneton Euphonium hails from a cool year at Henschke—in fact, the coolest since 2002, 19 vintages prior. On the nose, the wine offers us cassis, licorice, raspberry seed and cold black tea. The wine is supple, spicy, black-inflected and mineral, with graphite tannins and raw cocoa through the finish. It is ever so slightly earthy and meaty, with hung deli meat and pastrami as whispers against the black fruit.
Wine Advocate
92
POINTS
“The 2021 Keyneton Euphonium, a seamless blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, displays beautiful approachability with vibrant blackberry cassis, slate, violets and Szechuan pepper aromas. The cooler vintage shows more open-knit tannins than usual, but the exceptional balance will still provide good staying power.”
Vinous
17
POINTS
Deep crimson. Powerful South Australian perfume of ripeness and medicinal scents comes bounding out of the glass. Amazingly gentle tannin structure and some treacle running over the palate but no obvious alcohol at all. Well done! Some pepper here and lots of sweetness but savour too. It's not super-long at this stage which is perhaps why they are holding it back until early May. But it's beautifully made – and lasted pretty well in an opened bottle for many days.
Jancis Robinson

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:
Multiple Vineyards
Soil composition:
Grey/brown clays, red-brown earth and yellow sands to sandy loam over gravel and bedrock
Elevation:
898-1,640 feet
Bottles produced of this wine:
6,000
Average Vine Age:
50 years

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:
63% Shiraz, 29 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot
Fermentation container:
Traditional open-top concrete fermentation tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Hogsheads
Type of oak:
American and French
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
Total SO2:
72

Analytical Data

pH level:
3.53
Acidity:
6.1 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
Total SO2:
72
Residual sugar:
0.6 g/L

About the Vineyard

A traditionally wet winter, mild spring and excellent fruit set provided a great start to the 2015 vintage after four vintages with below average yields. Spring was dry and led into a very mild, dry summer with no disease, resulting in fruit with higher natural acidity, and incredible flavour and colour concentration. It was a dry, warm and windy start to January, with some welcome rain at the end of the month coinciding with the onset of veraison; perfectly timed for the old dry-grown vineyards. Mild weather followed from February through to April providing a fairytale vintage, eventually winding down at the end of April as the rain and cooler temperatures set in. 

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