Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

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 the Henschke Eden Valley vineyard in the 1960s. The cabernet sauvignon vines, along with cabernet franc and merlot, are planted on a north facing slope, grown using organic and biodynamic practices. This wine celebrates the incredible beauty that emerges from the vibrant rows of the Eden Valley vineyard, revered for its texture, depth, complexity and fine-grained tannins.

2019 was a mild and dry winter, followed by a dry and windy spring, saw frost events in September and November that disrupted budburst and young shoot growth. A hailstorm in late November impacted the fresh young shoots carrying the crop, with shiraz the most affected. Warmer than average temperatures in January and February, including the hottest summer’s day on record, led to the advancement of maturity and early onset of vintage. Warm weather in late summer maintained low disease pressure and small berry size, providing optimal ripening conditions. Despite miniscule yields, 2019 was a high-quality vintage with beautiful expressions of varietal character, good structure and excellent flavour intensity. The 2019 vintage will be remembered as a challenging season where regenerative viticulture and organic and biodynamic practices were vital to nurturing the health of the Henschke vineyards through an exceptionally warm and dry year.