The wine has lifted blueberry and blackberry fruit characters, complimented by nutmeg spice, violets and a touch of lavender. The palate has an opulence of blackberry fruit and mocha flavours but also has hints of mint, a touch of pepper and a fine tannin length and fresh acidity.
Awards and Accolades
☆☆☆☆☆ Halliday Rated Winery
TROPHY - 2015 International Wine Challenge Padthaway Shiraz Trophy GOLD - 2015 International Wine Challenge SILVER - 2015 Royal Melbourne Wine Show
93 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "In best full-bodied Henry's Drive style, rollicking along with waves of plush black fruits and a heap of dark chocolate borrowed from McLaren Vale; there is also a plentiful supply of oak, and the tannins are soft. It's looking for a bus stop to alight at the end of its journey, but it will be looking for a while yet."
From the Winery
Named after the proprietor of the 19th century mail coach service that once ran through their property, Henry’s Drive Vignerons is the wine operation established by Kim Longbottom and her late husband Mark. During the nineteenth century establishment of the farming and wine industries of south eastern South Australia, only horse drawn coaches provided the transit of mail and passengers. The coach drivers reigned supreme on top of their coaches and won the respect and admiration of their passengers. The coach service proprietor in this part of the state was a certain Henry John Hill. His operation drove directly through a property, owned more recently by the Longbottom family. Today, Kim continues to build the business in honour of Mark; and the wines are testament to Kim and Mark’s dedication to crafting fine wines from Padthaway, one of Australia’s great wine growing regions.
The fruit is harvested when flavour ripe, fermented on skins for 5-7 days with pump-over’s 4 times per day. A proportion is held on skins until dryness to give the palate length and a proportion pressed earlier which completes primary fermentation in barrel, helps to integrate the oak and impart a soft round texture. The wine undergoes malo-lactic fermentation and is matured for a period of 15-18 months in oak hogsheads and barriques. The oak components are 55% American & 45% French, 30% new, 35% one year old and 35% two year old.
Don't Pay: $35.00
WBW Rating: 93/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Padthaway, SA
Winemaker: Renae Hirsch
Drink now until: 2025
Alc/Vol: 14.5 %