This wine honors Stephen's father, Cyril Henschke (1924-1979), a fourth-generation Henschke winemaker and a true pioneer of Australian winemaking. Renowned for his old-vine, single-vineyard, and high-quality varietal table wines, Cyril planted cabernet sauvignon at the Henschke Eden Valley Vineyard in the late 1960s. The cabernet sauvignon vines, along with cabernet franc and merlot, thrive on a north-facing slope and are meticulously managed with organic and biodynamic practices. First produced as a single-vineyard wine in 1978, Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the exquisite beauty of the Eden Valley Vineyard, celebrated for its texture, depth, complexity, and fine-grained tannins.
This is an amazingly refined wine with a thrilling perfume and superbly pure fruit. It is a red light sabre of purity, and while it is a shame that yields were pinched in 2019, this wine is one of the most slender and direct Cyrils I have tasted, and I adore its balance and poise.