HENSCHKE THE WHEELWRIGHT SHIRAZ 2021

The Wheelwright pays tribute to the founding father of the Henschke winery and vineyards, winemaker Johann Christian Henschke. He was among the first generation of the early Barossa German pioneers of South Australia, and established the family winery in 1868. Johann Christian arrived as a skilled stonemason and wheelwright and planted his first vineyards in the high country of the picturesque Eden Valley. This wine is produced from Old-Vine shiraz planted in 1968, a century later, by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke.

Winery notes (2021 Vintage)
"Deep crimson with violet hues. Captivating raspberry, Satsuma plum and blackberry are entwined with high-toned, heady garrigue herbs, black peppercorn, nutmeg, anise, violets and wild lavender. A vibrant core of mulberry and blueberry fruit is supported by white pepper and violets, bright acidity, lovely texture and powerful fine-grained tannins building on the long, spicy finish."

96/100 Natasha Hughes MW, Decanter, March 2025 (2021 Vintage)
"This Shiraz is named in tribute to Johann Christian Henschke, a Silesian wheelwright and stonemason who planted the family’s first vineyards in the Eden Valley. Although it hails from a warm vineyard, planted in 1968, the palate is vivid and refreshing, packed with raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruits, leavened by peppery spice, bright tamarind and an almost salty note. The tannins are rounded and plush, lending just enough grip. Very long and layered. Utterly delicious and amazingly approachable. Harvested 13-16 April and aged in 10% new and 90% seasoned oak hogsheads (82% French, 18% American) for 18 months."

5 Stars & 96/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review, March 2025 (2021 Vintage)
"Very deep, saturated colour with strong purple tints; there are intense sage and raspberry/mulberry aromas while the palate is wonderfully deep and plush with masses of fruit flavours and those dried herb nuances embrace oregano, thyme, sage and more. The wine is very full in the mouth with impressive concentration and a voluminous core of fruit sweetness allied to abundant tannins of a velvety suppleness. Gorgeous shiraz. "

95/100 Dave Brookes, James Halliday's Wine Companion, March 2025 (2021 Vintage)
"100% organic/biodynamically farmed shiraz from the Wheelwright vineyard in the Eden Valley, planted by Cyril Henschke in the 1960s. Deep crimson with plush satsuma plum, black cherry and blackcurrant fruits underscored with hints of fine spice, sage, coal dust, cedar, violets, dark chocolate and crushed stone. I really like the flow of fruit in the Wheelwright this year; plush yet graceful with fine, compact tannins providing ample structure for cellaring."

95/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, Wine Advocate, March 2025 (2021 Vintage)
"The 2021 The Wheelwright Single Vineyard Shiraz is succulent and chalky, with dried herb and crushed rocks, blackberry, mulberry and a hint of pastrami. The fruit was grown at an elevation of 500 meters, and the vines are planted in a contour, mostly north facing. This is ultimately a spicy, red-fruited expression. There are notes of raspberry seed, shades of nori, blood and gore. It is fresh and beautiful and slinky, in its way."

93/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, April 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"Coal, blackberry, licorice and loam characters come served with whispers of malt, dark chocolate and roasted spices. There’s a complex meatiness in play too though, that said, the wine goes with the flow of it all, and more specifically with the juicy darkness of the fruit. The tannin here has an ironstone aspect to it but is otherwise unobtrusive, albeit extended. This wine seemed sweet-fruited and open for business when I first tasted it but the longer I sat it the drier it seemed, and the more structural. It will be interesting to see how it matures."

96/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, April 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"Opens with pleasing, old spice cupboard and old Chesterfield lounge characters, below, ripe raspberry, red plum, an almost crunch red cherry character too. That woody, dusty, leathery spice a feature, but nicely woven through. Tannins quite tight and tense, the finish a crunch of blood orange and peppery spice with a gnaw of dusty chew. Hold for cellaring, but a serious, structured red is here too. "

17/20 Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com (2021 Vintage)
"Bright garnet. Smells briney and herbal with a top note of liquorice. Nicely married aromas. Tastes salty too with a firm, dry finish though the tannins are clearly ripe and well worked. Sweet and slightly medicinal. Despite its 14.5% alcohol, there's not a jot of alcoholic heat on the long finish, which is so clean and pure it's almost bracing."