Winery: Henschke
Region: Eden Valley
Variety: Chardonnay
 
Your Wine Guy says:
 
We have found in the past that even in a poor vintage Henschke produces very good wines, so when their talent is combined with a great vintage, like 2008 in the Eden Valley, the results are excellent. The Cranes Chardonnay is a pale gold in the glass with classic cool climate stone fruits with peach and grapefruit and some spicy toasty oak on the nose. This wine is very well integrated with a creamy complexity and very easy to drink; strong enough to last in the cellar a number of years, again, great now.
94 Points YWG Drink to 2014+

The winemaker says:
 
Colour:Straw with a gold-green hue.
Nose: The nose exhibits peach, nectarine and honeydew, with notes of mixed spices and yeast dough hints.
Palate: Stone-fruit, melon and pear flavours with a creamy texture, good length and a crisp, fresh finish. – Henschke Wines
 
Winery/Label Information:
 
One of the earliest harvests on record, which began early February, produced exceptional whites. The 2008 vintage in Eden Valley was preceded by an average rainfall and a mild and unusually frost-free spring with regular rainfall periods. Fine flowering weather meant good set despite the expectation that the previous drought year of 2007 would affect yields. The vines also showed surprisingly vigorous growth. A dry and hotter than average early summer caused smaller berry and bunch size. – Henschke Wines