In The News

2014 Vintage Brut - The Guardian

97 points from Decanter

2012 Vintage Brut 96/100 Huon Hooke 

Medium to full yellow colour, with an aged bouquet of nougat, malt and smoked-smallgoods characters, a touch of vanilla and pronounced nuttiness. A glimpse of oak. The wine is full and rich, dry and savoury in the mouth, the texture fluffy and creamy. A generous wine with substantial aged character and charm. And, evidently, low dosage. (70% chardonnay 30% pinot noir. Grapes from Coal & Derwent Valleys, Tasman Peninsula and north-west Tasmania.
Dosage 2.5 grams/litre)  Tasted: 15 SEP 2021
Drink 2021–2025
Sadly, in June 2021 we paid our fondest farewells to Dr Ada Shirley Henskens -mother, best friend and mentor. Please follow the link to view some of her recent artworks on the interaction amongst light, the visual cortex and our perception of landscape. She lived a rich,  vigorous, full life and is very much missed and close to the heart of what we do.

https://www.realtime.org.au/growing-art-shaping-perception

 

The Wine Front – Curly Haslam-Coates

Henskens Rankin Vintage Brut 2012

Posted on 04 May 2021.

As fresh as a Spring morning, or, I suppose Autumn morning considering the morning temperatures outside in Tassie right now. The 2012 is so pretty and delicate on the nose with fresh lemon, raw pastry dough, green apple and white peach blossom all tumbling around.
The delicacy continues with minuscule bubbles dancing on the tongue and those springy/autumnal morning notes are joined by ground almonds, a clean salinity and a hint of caramelised pecans, vanilla, peaches, lemon posset and mouthwatering acidity. If you’re looking for a big, bold and rich sparkling, this ain’t it! This is as fine as a dewy, gossamer web on a hedge twinkling away as the sun rises and the new day brings its potential. This can age for years if you want to see those nutty flavours work their way to the fore but if you like things fresh, light, delicate and precise, don’t dilly dally, today is your day.


Rated : 95 Points
Tasted : May-21
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $90
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2021 - 2031

 Gourmet Traveller Wine

The Independent Tasmanian Winemakers Creating Sparkling To Rival Champagne - T Australia

The Independent Tasmanian Winemakers Creating Sparkling To Rival Champagne - T Australia

The Wine Front – Curly Haslam-Coates

Henskens Rankin Blanc de Blanc 2014

Posted on 22 December 2020.

Rated : 94 Points

There are some things that I do really miss about living in England and one of them is being able to look at a meadow of long grass and wildflowers and not immediately think of snakes lying in wait to bite my unsuspecting ankles. So, come with me, if you will, to the good sort of meadow that brings with it a waft of hay, honeysuckle, apple blossom and honeycomb. Imagine sitting comfortably with some melting brie, brioche toast, apple danish and almonds.

On the palate, this Blanc de Blanc is much riper than in previous years but still has a huge capacity to age. A single-vineyard Chardonnay from Stringybark in Northern Tasmania, this was barrel fermented with a mixture of wild yeast and some commercial, six years on lees and a mere 2g/l dosage. The acidity is incredibly refreshing and combined with the apple slices, clover honey, almond brittle, pastry dough, fresh apricots and apple blossom, it is also incredibly toasty and moreish. One for New Year’s Eve, you can choose which year.

 Tasted : Dec-20
Alcohol : 11.83%
Drink : 2020 - 2035


 

 

The Wine Front - Curly Haslam-Coates 

Henskens Rankin Sparkling 2011

Posted on 11 August 2020.

Sometimes when you say 2011 to wine people, it’s a little bit like saying Mufasa to the hyenas in the Lion King. A little shudder of fear runs through them. I, however, am Whoopi Goldberg’s hyena. I want you to say it again. A cool and wet year for many, 2011 has many little gems when it comes to sparkling wine. Bubbles don’t mind a cooler year and the 2011’s from Tasmania seem to be maturing slowly and elegantly.

Bottle 775 of 1482 is a 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir multi-regional blend, sourced from the Coal Valley,  Tasman Peninsula and NW Tasmania. A little old barrel time and malolactic fermentation for a third of the Chardonnay, six years on lees and at disgorging, the liqueur d’expedition contained a small portion of barrel-aged Chardonnay from 2014 and tiraged wine from 2010.

Pale golden with tiny and fast-moving bubbles, the nose is bright and complex with crisp apples, lemon juice, honey, almonds, brioche and vanilla.

The creamy vanilla notes continue on to the palate combining with oyster shell, sea spray, green apples, almond meal, pastry dough, lemon juice, honeysuckle blossom, white peach and freshly cut button mushrooms.

Elegant, well structured and incredibly complex, this wine is only showing the merest hints of maturity. This will age for many years to come, with the same longevity that classic Lion King references can bring.

 Rated : 96 Points
Tasted : Aug-20
Alcohol : 11.9%
Price : $90
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2020 - 2035

 

Henskens Rankin Brut Rosé 2013

Posted on 11 August 2020.

A very pale blush of a rosé with tiny bubbles and a fine beading on the rim. Toast, red currants, ripe red cherries, strawberries, rosehip, rose petals and raspberries.

An incredibly creamy mousse on this clean and complex sparkling wine. Taut red fruits, raspberries, vanilla, red currants, rhubarb dish pastry, alpine strawberries all combine in a very classical traditional method sparkling.

50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir sourced from the White Rock Vineyard in north-western Tasmania, wild fermented in old oak barrels with the delicate colour coming from Pinot Noir skin maceration. This wine has spent 6 years on it’s lees and is from a tiny run of only 830 bottles, I tasted number 264.

Still very youthful, over time this will head to a more savoury, truffle and forest floor stage as it matures. One to watch.



Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Aug-20
Alcohol : 13.4%
Price : $95
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2020 - 2028

 

 

 

 https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/the-20-best-wines-of-2019-20191016-p5314i

https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/the-award-winning-wine-makers-you-may-not-have-heard-of-20191017-p531jj

 

 

 

 

 Awards: Henskens Rankin @ The Wine Show

Henskens Rankin 2013 Brut Rose

Bronze medal: Vintage Sparkling 2020 Tasmanian Wine Show

 

Henskens Rankin 2010 Vintage Brut

Silver medal:  Late Disgorged Sparkling 2018 Tasmanian Wine Show

Gold Medal: Late Disgorged Sparkling 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show

Trophy: Late Disgorged Sparkling 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show

Trophy:  Champion Wine of Show 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show


Henskens Rankin 2011 Vintage Brut

Bronze medal: Late Disgorged Sparkling 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show