Region: Barossa
Sub Region: Eden Valley
Variety: Shiraz
Country: Australia
Vintage: 2016
The Wine
The Wheelwright comes from a small vineyard planted by Cyril Henschke in 1968, close to the Eden Valley township at approximately 470 metres elevation. It takes its name from Henschke founder Johann Christian Henschke, a Silesian immigrant, stonemason and wheelwright who established the family winery in 1868. The vineyard’s fruit was historically absorbed into other wines before being bottled separately from the 2015 vintage.
The 2016 growing season began with below-average winter rainfall and a warm, dry spring. Timely rain around veraison and again in early March helped preserve freshness through an early harvest. The resulting wine combines the depth of a warm year with the perfume, mineral shape and savoury detail expected of elevated Eden Valley Shiraz.
Mulberry, blueberry and red plum sit beneath violet, bay leaf, white pepper, tea and crushed-stone notes. The palate is full and concentrated without becoming heavy, carried by fine tannins, balanced acidity and a long, spicy-savoury finish. Its museum release gives collectors the uncommon opportunity to buy mature Henschke with the wine’s provenance intact. It is drinking beautifully now after decanting but should remain compelling through the mid-2030s.
Cellared Says
This is exactly what a museum release should deliver: recognisable maturity without surrendering the energy that made the wine worth cellaring. The Wheelwright may sit below Henschke’s most famous bottlings in the hierarchy, but it carries the same sense of family history, meticulous farming and Eden Valley identity. A superb choice for anyone wanting serious, cellar-aged Australian Shiraz that still feels poised rather than monumental. A direct release from Henschke’s Cellars, this has the aging done for you. Perfect provenance, and looking absolutely stunning right now, we showed this at a corporate event recently and it blew everyone away.
Reviews
“This is a glorious Shiraz with crushed blueberries, white pepper and tea.”
97 points — James Suckling
“Wild blackberry fruits with a savoury/bramble backdrop.”
97 points — James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
“Superb elegance and aromaticity.”
96 points — Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“Classic Eden Valley notes of bay leaves, crushed stone and blueberries.”
95 points — Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Region: Barossa
Sub Region: Eden Valley
Variety: Shiraz
Country: Australia
Vintage: 2016
The Wine
The Wheelwright comes from a small vineyard planted by Cyril Henschke in 1968, close to the Eden Valley township at approximately 470 metres elevation. It takes its name from Henschke founder Johann Christian Henschke, a Silesian immigrant, stonemason and wheelwright who established the family winery in 1868. The vineyard’s fruit was historically absorbed into other wines before being bottled separately from the 2015 vintage.
The 2016 growing season began with below-average winter rainfall and a warm, dry spring. Timely rain around veraison and again in early March helped preserve freshness through an early harvest. The resulting wine combines the depth of a warm year with the perfume, mineral shape and savoury detail expected of elevated Eden Valley Shiraz.
Mulberry, blueberry and red plum sit beneath violet, bay leaf, white pepper, tea and crushed-stone notes. The palate is full and concentrated without becoming heavy, carried by fine tannins, balanced acidity and a long, spicy-savoury finish. Its museum release gives collectors the uncommon opportunity to buy mature Henschke with the wine’s provenance intact. It is drinking beautifully now after decanting but should remain compelling through the mid-2030s.
Cellared Says
This is exactly what a museum release should deliver: recognisable maturity without surrendering the energy that made the wine worth cellaring. The Wheelwright may sit below Henschke’s most famous bottlings in the hierarchy, but it carries the same sense of family history, meticulous farming and Eden Valley identity. A superb choice for anyone wanting serious, cellar-aged Australian Shiraz that still feels poised rather than monumental. A direct release from Henschke’s Cellars, this has the aging done for you. Perfect provenance, and looking absolutely stunning right now, we showed this at a corporate event recently and it blew everyone away.
Reviews
“This is a glorious Shiraz with crushed blueberries, white pepper and tea.”
97 points — James Suckling
“Wild blackberry fruits with a savoury/bramble backdrop.”
97 points — James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
“Superb elegance and aromaticity.”
96 points — Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“Classic Eden Valley notes of bay leaves, crushed stone and blueberries.”
95 points — Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
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