I love Cyril, and this stunning 2021 takes up its position in Australia’s great pantheon of Cabernets because of its sheer quality, detail, and glittering uniqueness. No other wine tastes like it, making it an essential part of any Cabernet lover’s repertoire. ... This is a landmark vintage for Cyril, and I cannot wait to see how it evolves because I have a half-point in reserve, just in case I need it.

A blend of organic/biodynamically farmed 99/1% cabernet sauvignon/merlot from the Cyril Henschke vineyard in the Eden Valley from the outstanding 2021 vintage. A beautiful bright magenta/crimson in the glass with a pretty, lifted aromatic profile. Plum, blackberry and blackcurrant with notes of sage, bay leaf, dried herbs, violets and crushed stone. Fruit pure and detailed with a very long, graceful finish and superfine, powdery, granitic tannins. A wonderful release for the Cyril Henschke.

Intense, focused, powerful and yet elegant, this is medium-full bodied and far from a blockbuster, but has concentrated cabernet flavour that draws out neatly in a really long aftertaste. A top-notch cabernet with years ahead of it.

The 2021 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon hails from a block planted in the 1960s and the 1980s. The vineyard is planted east-west, with vertical shoot positioned trellising, and the straw mulch underneath the vines assists in bringing out the most expression possible. Fermentation involves very gentle cap management to withdraw gentle tannins from the wine. It matured for 18 months in French oak. The nose leads with violets and crushed rocks, dried herbs and ancient, dusty earth. With 1% Merlot, this is essentially a Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The wine takes me to the ancient gums and rocky outcrops of the Eden valley, a place I am incredibly fond of. This is the loveliest Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon I can recall—sleek and evocative. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.