2023 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium Shiraz Cabernet, Barossa

This multi-varietal blend is based largely on Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small amount of Cabernet Franc from the Barossa. It is loaded with ripe red and black fruits, delivering impressive concentration and flavour. Despite the challenges of the vintage, the wine displays remarkable vibrancy and purity. Lively, fleshy fruit is held firmly in place by fine tannins and fine-grained oak, of which only 10% was new. It drinks beautifully now thanks to its balance and harmony, yet it clearly possesses the structure and depth to reward more than two decades in the cellar. Drink to 2046.

95 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Shiraz Cabernet with a 2% splash of Cabernet Franc, Euphonium is a well composed example of the classic Aussie red. Offers a nice mix of Shiraz-lead ripe plums and blackberries married to Cabernet’s cassis, herbs and leaves and tied in unison by woody spices, red earth notes, dried flowers and cocoa. Maybe there is less savouriness this vintage compared to previous years; the ’23 seems more fruit-filled and buoyant in mood. Definitely energised as a three-year-old which is a good sign for further ageing potential. Drink to 2038.

94 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Bay leaf, blackcurrant, dried eucalyptus, black pepper, cool menthol, whispers of cassia bark. Some clove-studded orange with air, along with sweet shortbread from the oak and a touch more fruit presence in black cherry and plum. A decidedly savoury affair — and by no means to a fault — though the fruit does build with time. It shines through more readily on the palate: blackberry, plum, black cherry and blackcurrant, along with shortbread oak, pepper, cocoa powder, chocolate and dried violets. A good frame of grainy tannins brings shape and carry to a good length. Quite arresting and delicious as it unfolds with air, and will do well with some time in the cellar.

94 points Tom Kline for Wine Pilot, June 2026

The 2023 Keyneton Euphonium leads with red fruit on the nose, and this follows onto the palate. This is a wine of texture and seamless flow; all of the tannins wrap around a core of unfettered pomegranate, cocoa and red licorice. This is an excellent wine from a cool, wet season. Drink to 2033.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, June 2026

This wine greets with a savoury, aromatic web of blue and black berries dusted with anise, clove, mace and black pepper and a whisper of bay leaf and menthol. The savoury, medium-bodied palate is aligned to the nose, with fine tannins and fresh acidity flowing amongst multiple layers of fleshy, textured and vibrant fruit.

Bring this bottle to a long lunch served around slow-roasted duck served with a bittersweet orange and cassia bark glaze, or a platter of char-grilled Moorish-spiced lamb cutlets. The wine’s fine-grained tannin structure wraps beautifully around the rich, savory fats of the duck, while its cool menthol and bay leaf undertones mirror the fragrant, rustic herbs coming off the grill.

Keeping it casual? Uncork it during an afternoon of effortless grazing next to a shared board of premium wagyu bresaola, hot-smoked venison, and a semi-hard, earth-driven alpine cheese.

More about this wine

Seven generations of the Henschke family have been making wine in the Barossa since 1868. This wine is named after the village of Keyneton and a particularly fine B flat euphonium in the care of the family, made by Zimmerman in Leipzig in the late nineteenth century.

2023 Keyneton Euphonium is the 65th vintage of the blend: 65% Shiraz, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with fruit sourced from up to 50-year-old vines in both Barossa Valley (69%) and Eden Valley vineyards. The wine was matured for 17 months in French oak hogsheads, only 10% of which were new.

The wine has a proven record of cellaring well for a decade or more.