2025 Henschke Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills

Juicy and bright. A little chalky pucker on hand. Good aromatics that show off frangipani, preserved lemon, Japanese pickled ginger and brown pear. The textural experience elevates things too; it feels like the grapes were firmly pressed, eking out chew and chomp through the palate. Enough flavour to deliver strong DNA of the variety, too. Perhaps just a touch diffuse overall, but pleasing generally.

93 points Mikee Bennie winecompanion.com.au

Henschke Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris from the Adelaide Hills is a beautifully expressive and quietly complex white that shows the more serious, textured side of Pinot Gris. The Innes Vineyard sits high above Lenswood, one of the coolest pockets of the Hills, where altitude, cold nights and long ripening seasons build natural acidity and refined aromatics. Planted on sandy loams over clay, the vineyard delivers fruit with both generosity and tension. The Henschke family treat this site with their trademark respect for place, hand harvesting and gently handling the fruit, with fermentation carried out to preserve purity while building subtle mid palate weight and shape.

The aromatics are detailed and inviting. Ripe pear, nashi and white peach sit alongside citrus zest and apple skin, lifted by hints of jasmine and honeysuckle. There is a faint savoury note beneath the fruit, offering almond, soft spice and a whisper of wet stone that reflects the cool Lenswood setting. As the wine opens, gentle notes of ginger and citrus oil add extra dimension.

The palate is generous yet finely balanced. Orchard fruit flows across a silky, lightly textured mid palate, supported by fresh acidity that keeps the wine energetic and precise. Flavours of pear skin, stone fruit and subtle spice build gradually, finishing long and dry with a clean mineral edge and a soft phenolic grip that gives the wine food friendly structure. It drinks beautifully now but can develop additional savoury nuance over three to five years.

An excellent partner for roast chicken, pork with apple, seafood risotto, grilled fish, Asian inspired dishes or soft cheeses. This is Pinot Gris with poise and depth, offering a clear sense of site and the quiet confidence that defines Henschke wines.