Henschke Noble Semillon 375ml 2022

For centuries in Europe very late harvest wines have been made from grapes with naturally occurring Botrytis cinerea mould, such as French sauternes and German beerenauslese. This mould, known as Noble Rot, develops in the ripening grape berries causing higher sugar and acid levels to be achieved with corresponding enhancement of flavours and lusciousness of the wine.

The winter of 2021 brought good rainfall to refill soil profiles and the cool, slow start to the growing season resulted in budburst occurring two weeks later than average. An extreme hail event on 28 October decimated the young growth across our vineyards in Keyneton and significant crop potential was lost. Late flowering (late November/early December) avoided the cold and windy conditions, resulting in good fruit set, albeit smaller yields. A burst of summer heat without extremes supported berry development and balanced canopy growth. Welcome rain in late January kicked off veraison and ripening, providing a mild and dry finish to summer. 2022 was a late vintage with harvest dates 1-2 weeks later than the historical average. The resulting wines have great elegance with excellent aromatic and flavour intensity, bright acidity and wonderful ageing potential.