Henschke, `Louis` Eden Valley Semillon

The Henschke family have made wine at their estate in the Eden Valley since 1868, with fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke taking over in 1979. Together with his viticulturist wife, Prue, they have built upon their inheritance, transforming this traditional producer into one that is celebrated worldwide. Their two flagship single vineyards wines, ‘Hill of Grace’ and ‘Mount Edelstone’, have become two of Australia’s most acclaimed.

Henschke own three vineyards in the Eden Valley and one in the Adelaide Hills, all of which are farmed in line with biodynamic principles. Prue’s pioneering work in the vineyard cannot be underestimated. Over the past 50 years she has worked tirelessly, vine by vine, to improve the health of the vineyards through meticulous soil management and reintroducing native plants to promote biodiversity.

In 2024 Prue became the inaugural inductee into the James Halliday Hall of Fame, the highest honour bestowed by Halliday Wine Companion: “Prue Henschke is someone who could easily have won Viticulturist of the Year, in any ‘competition’ around the world, every year. She could because every year she leaves her world that little bit healthier, and that little bit better. If the Hill of Grace vineyard could talk, you’d reckon that it would thank the world and perhaps even the Lord for bestowing the force-of-nature that is Prue Henschke upon it.”

The eight-hectare ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard, first planted in 1860, is situated in the historic village of Parrot Hill, four kilometres northwest of Henschke Cellars. Though originally purchased by second-generation Paul Gotthard Henschke in 1891, it was not until 1958 that fourth-generation winemaker Cyril Henschke made the first single vineyard Shiraz bottling from its grapes. Cyril then purchased the nearby 16-hectare ‘Mount Edelstone’ vineyard in 1974, from which he had already been buying fruit and making ‘Mount Edelstone’ Shiraz for over 20 years. The 2019 vintage represents its 67th release, making it Australia’s longest consecutively made single vineyard Shiraz. The 2019 vintage was incredibly challenging, with frost, hail and record summer temperatures. The quality was outstanding, but the yields were tiny. Therefore, to complement the 2019 single vineyard wines, Stephen and Prue decided to jointly release two museum wines from their cellar: 2008 Hill of Grace and 2013 Mount Edelstone.

The Henschke Eden Valley vineyard was first planted in 1966, when Cyril purchased 32 hectares of land on Cranes Range Road. Originally planted with Riesling and Shiraz, other varieties including Semillon were added over the years. Planted on sandy soils, this is Henschke’s coolest Eden Valley site, producing wines with distinct freshness and aromatic intensity. It is the source of ‘Julius’ Riesling, ‘Louis’ Semillon, ‘Wheelwright’ Shiraz and ‘Cyril’ Cabernet Sauvignon. Cyril bottled his first Cabernet Sauvignon from this cool vineyard site in 1976. This elegant expression was named in his honour when he passed away in 1979. The ‘Wheelwright’ Shiraz, only released as a single vineyard Shiraz for the first time in 2015, comes from a 1.6-hectare plot. Other parcels of Shiraz are blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc to make ‘Keyneton Euphonium’, which Jancis Robinson describes as “an Australian classic at a less than iconic price.”

Stephen and Prue also buy fruit from growers they have worked with for decades. They use this to make ‘Henry’s Seven’ Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro, and ‘Johann’s Garden’ Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz. ‘Peggy’s Hill’ Riesling takes its name from a local landmark at the top of the range between the villages of Eden Valley and Keyneton. Sourced from a few growers whose vines range from 10 to 70 years old, it displays similar characteristics to ‘Julius’, but is a softer, early drinking style.