Deep crimson with violet hues. Lifted and fragrant aromas of briary blackberry, red currant, Satsuma plum, with floral notes of violets, cassis, lavender, supported by crushed thyme and black pepper. The palate is textural and layered with red currant, mulberry and blackberry revealing hints of bay leaf and anise, balanced by focussed acidity, depth and structure from cedary oak and elegant, fine-grained tannins.
52% Shiraz | 48% Cabernet Sauvignon
Matured in 28% new and 72% seasoned (85% French, 15% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.
The Apple Tree Bench pays tribute to the farming traditions of Johann Christian Henschke, who settled in the high-country of the Barossa’s Eden Valley wine region in 1862. The Henschke family’s early farm life revolved around the apple tree bench, where the produce from the farm was placed before being stored in the cool stone cellar. This wine is produced from ungrafted low-yielding Eden Valley shiraz planted on ancient red-brown earths and blended with cabernet sauvignon growing on the deep alluvial soils of the Barossa Valley. A limited-production traditional Barossa blend of shiraz cabernet.
TYSON STELZER, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION
95 points
"The combination of fragrance, depth and structure achieved in the Barossa's great shiraz cabernet blends is legendary, and this cool season has given birth to one of the greats. Cabernet's crunchy blackcurrants interlock seamlessly with the spicy blackberries of shiraz. Finely crafted tannins unite with bright, tangy, cool-season acidity to energise a long and enduring finish. A cellaring special."
13 AUGUST 2021
