Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2021 Barossa Valley

James Suckling
95/100 punten
"Spice- and earth-driven aromas of dark cherries, blood plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs and cured meat. The palate is full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins, giving notes of licorice, mulberries, pepper, mocha and ferric earth. A seamlessly integrated blend of mostly shiraz with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot."

Decanter
95/100 punten
"Luscious dark cherry and plum fruit, along with complexing notes of baking spice, liquorice and woody herbs. Dense and chewy at first, then a burst of acidity and a note of blood orange lift the finish and help it endure for a surprisingly long time. Harvested 1 March-22 April and matured in 11% new and 89% seasoned hogsheads (82% French, 18% American) for 18 months."

James Halliday
94/100 punten
"A seamless blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot; each variety laying down their individual characteristics for the good of the great whole. There is excellent length of flavour here, with plummy merlot flesh, spice, sage and density from the shiraz, gently flecked blackberry tones from the cabernet and the liminal leafy edge of the franc. A bright, minerally cadence and long, black-fruited finish wrap things up from this very strong vintage."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
92/100 punten
"The 2021 Keyneton Euphonium hails from a cool year at Henschke—in fact, the coolest since 2002, 19 vintages prior. On the nose, the wine offers us cassis, licorice, raspberry seed and cold black tea. The wine is supple, spicy, black-inflected and mineral, with graphite tannins and raw cocoa through the finish. It is ever so slightly earthy and meaty, with hung deli meat and pastrami as whispers against the black fruit. It's a compositional blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."

Vinous
92/100 punten
"The 2021 Keyneton Euphonium, a seamless blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, displays beautiful approachability with vibrant blackberry cassis, slate, violets and Szechuan pepper aromas. The cooler vintage shows more open-knit tannins than usual, but the exceptional balance will still provide good staying power."

Jancis Robinson MW
17/20 punten
"Blend of 63% Shiraz, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot grown by various growers in Barossa and Eden Valleys and picked over more than seven weeks, from 1 March to 22 April. Matured for 18 months in 62% French and 38% American oak, consisting of 2% new French oak puncheons and 98% seasoned French and American oak hogsheads. Deep crimson. Powerful South Australian perfume of ripeness and medicinal scents comes bounding out of the glass. Amazingly gentle tannin structure and some treacle running over the palate but no obvious alcohol at all. Well done! Some pepper here and lots of sweetness but savour too. It's not super-long at this stage which is perhaps why they are holding it back until early May. But it's beautifully made – and lasted pretty well in an opened bottle for many days."