Henschke ‘Julius’ Riesling 2017
For my very first wine review on Substack, I’m going to share my thoughts on a bottle of Riesling from the producer Henschke in Eden Valley. Riesling is my favourite grape variety because I feel that it is so underrated. There are many kinds of Rieslings in the market. You can find them dry or sweet, young or old, fruity or floral, sharp or rich, so many different ways to enjoy it. I seriously think there is a huge market for Rieslings in Asia. Especially when the flavour profile of our cuisine (Thai, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Malaysian) are so compatible with the profile of a Riesling.
Henschke is a popular wine producer in Eden Valley. It is a family run business for 6 generations, ever since the 1850s when the early settlers start to move into the Barossa region. The winery has recently been awarded by James Halliday as the best producer in 2020, a great testimony to the wines that they have made. Stephen Henscke is running the winery today, with the help of his children. This wine is dedicated to their ancestor, Julius Henschke, whom is a very famous sculptor.
The wine looks pale with greenish flecks round its rim. There was some very fine but visible petillance. The nose was pronounced, with an overall green and steely character. It had notes of green apple, lemon zest, acacia, herbaceous and wet stones. The body is medium with high acidity and a long finish. I really wonder how they made wines that can do that. Really happy with how it ended.
While this wine can be aged easily for another 5 to 10 years, I don’t see any reason why we should not drink up today. This would go very well with fresh seafood like shrimps, oysters or salmon sashimi.
Have you tried an Eden Valley riesling before?