"Vinolok stopper. 1% Cabernet Franc in this wine from a vineyard on sandy loam soils over gravel and bedrock, with patches of clay at 500 m. First vintage was 1976 when single-vineyard, unfortified wines were distinctly novel. The fruit was fermented in open-top, concrete fermenters. Maturation took place in French oak hogsheads, of which 20% were new, for 18 months before the final blend was assembled.
"The family's flagship Cabernet is the 2016 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon. As usual, the oak regime incorporates a reasonable 20% new French hogsheads, lending a discreet edge of pencil shavings to the scents of pipe tobacco, menthol and cassis. It's medium to full-bodied but exquisitely balanced so as to appear nearly weightless on the palate, buoyed by ripe, plush tannins that turn softly dusty on the lingering finish. It's another excellent vintage for what is arguably Eden Valley's top Cabernet Sauvignon." 95 pts, Joe Czerwinski, WA
"A classy nose, where notes of earth, gravel, cedar and lilac join plush, ripe, blackcurrant and cassis fruit. Juicy blackcurrants to the fore on the deep palate, mingling with fleshier mulberry, dried mint, earth and compost nuances along with an amplified floral accent — heady lilacs versus the violets of 2015. Powdery, mouthcoating tannins and ripe, redcurrant acidity underpin the long, mineral wet-stone finish. This marathon runner wears its plush fruit and firm structure lightly." 96 pts, Sarah Ahmed, Decanter
"Mid shaded ruby. Although this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is no deeper in colour than the Euphonium 2016. That hint of of oyster shells I picked up on the Euphonium is really pronounced on this wine! Much tauter and more focused on the nose than most South Australian reds (north of Coonawarra). But the tannins are much softer than they would be in, say, a red Bordeaux 2016. Tarry and lightly medicinal — in a positive way! Really quite smooth-textured for a Cabernet from a vintage which, I'm told, is more tannic than usual. Subtle, undeniably Cabernet, fruit but it should flower for many a year and ideally I'd keep it awhile." 17+ pts, Jancis Robinson
"Aromas of coal smoke, dried sage and thyme, as well as iodine, Indian ink, liquorice and wet slate make for a very savoury frame to the violets, blueberries and blackcurrants. The palate has a striking degree of power and purity with some quite ripe, concentrated dark-plum and mulberry flavours, stretched long on majestic cabernet tannins. The dark berries hold long and stay fresh to the very end. Some blueberries to close. This is an elegant, complex and powerful rendition of higher-altitude cabernet style. Great balance." 95 pts, James Suckling