Henschke Henrys Seven 2013

Henschke Henrys Seven shiraz, grenache, mataro, viognier blend is a tribute to Henry Evans who planted the first vineyard of seven acres at Keyneton in 1853. This blend highlights the historical introduction of southern French and Spanish varieties to South Australia in those early pioneering days and reflects the history, religion and culture of the Barossa. This vintage is comprised of 60% shiraz, 26% grenache, 7% mataro and 7% viognier grapes grown in the Barossa (Eden Valley and Barossa Valley). Viognier was co-fermented with shiraz; grenache and mataro fermented separately. For maturation, seasoned French hogsheads for 10 months prior to blending and bottling. 

Deep garnet with purple hues. Appealing aromas of raspberry, plum, blackberry and red currant fruits are lifted by fragrant floral notes and supported by savoury nuances of rosemary, sage, pepper and anise. The palate bursts with sweet, rich, juicy fruits together with plush textures and fine velvety tannins.

The lead-up to the 2013 vintage saw an early onset of summer, with occasional thunderstorms and only four heat spikes, into the 40s, over summer. A cooler than average January followed by a warm February, brought the predicted early vintage even further forward. Even after the dry-fecta of winter/spring/summer the word from the winery floor was that it would be another great Eden Valley riesling year, followed up with some great old-vine shiraz. Fortunately, a desperately needed 16mm of rain came, the first for nearly six months, at the beginning of March to help the dry-grown vines struggle through to full maturity. The roller-coaster weather ride continued through March with almost weekly cycles of hot and cold. Cool drizzly weather at the end of March nearly brought the harvest to a halt, but with a return to the Indian summer conditions in early April, it gave us a chance to get the late varieties in Eden Valley over the line, predominantly cabernet sauvignon and merlot, returning us to another great vintage of average yields and fabulous rock solid quality.