“It's been worth the wait, and then some, for this is a flawless Hill of Grace. It's an old cliche, but it's unavoidable: it is the ultimate iron fist in a velvet glove. While the fruit remains supreme, there are savoury tannins to support the 50-year cellaring potential of the wine….The wine? Perfect colour, fragrant dark cherry/berry aromas and flavours, positive tannin and French oak support, great aftertaste.”

"Dried baking spices on the nose as well as dried-sage leaves and other roasting herbs and a kind of wet chalky element introduce one of the finest iterations of this single-site wine ever. The very tightly cut palate is contained and reserved with fine layers, though the sustained length is a real thing of marvel. It has all the blackberry and dark-cherry fruits on offer, not to mention a wealth of fresh-roasted coffee and dark plums. There's real elegance, super smooth tannins, sheer power and a long, fresh, even-handed finish. Incredibly polished and seamless palate. Best give this some time to fill out; will be complete around 2025 and historic tastings would suggest it will really peak around 2035."

"This is wonderfully harmonious, refined and elegant, blending a supple, silky texture with a profound level of detail. Aromas of mahogany, cedar, juniper and black truffle mingle with a core of bright cherry and cranberry flavors, gaining momentum and traction on the epic finish. Shiraz."

"Wonderfully harmonious, refined and elegant, blending a supple, silky texture with a profound level of detail. Aromas of mahogany, cedar, juniper and black truffle mingle with a core of bright cherry and cranberry flavors, gaining momentum and traction on the epic finish. Drink now through 2040. From Australia."

"Deep, shimmering purple. Displays an array of ripe, mineral-accented black and blue fruit preserve, floral, tobacco and spice qualities on the hugely perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sweet, penetrating blueberry, Chambord, cherry liqueur and fruitcake flavors that take on vanilla, espresso and smoky mineral nuances as the wine stretches out. Conveys a jaw-dropping exhibition of power and restraint and finishes extremely long, sweet and precise, with smooth tannins framing lingering dark fruit and lavender pastille notes. This wine's marriage of depth to delicacy is something else."

"The original vines were 100 years old when Cyril Henschke made the first vintage of Hill of Grace, named for the Gnadenberg Church that watches over the vineyard. His family had sustained those vines while propagating new blocks from the “Grandfathers,” a program his nephew Stephen Henschke has sustained, in part, by marrying well—his wife, Prue, is one of Australia’s leading viticulturists and has dedicated no small part of her career to studying what sets the Hill of Grace vineyard apart and developing selections from its ancient vines. While rarity and demand have sent the price into the stratosphere of the world’s top wines, this 55th vintage stands in that company with the kind of clarity and numinous elegance few parcels of vines in the world can give. It has the weightless concentration of flavor that transforms meaty black cherry, licorice and olive notes into a lasting impression of freshness. It’s also there in the texture, which feels ample, rich and as transparent as fine silk. A great vintage of Hill of Grace, the 2012 will likely be at its best between ten and 20 years from the vintage, and will live well for decades."

“The original vines were 100 years old when Cyril Henschke made the first vintage of Hill of Grace, named for the Gnadenberg Church that watches over the vineyard. His family had sustained those vines while propagating new blocks from the “Grandfathers,” a program his nephew Stephen Henschke has sustained, in part, by marrying well—his wife, Prue, is one of Australia’s leading viticulturists and has dedicated no small part of her career to studying what sets the Hill of Grace vineyard apart and developing selections from its ancient vines. While rarity and demand have sent the price into the stratosphere of the world’s top wines, this 55th vintage stands in that company with the kind of clarity and numinous elegance few parcels of vines in the world can give. It has the weightless concentration of flavor that transforms meaty black cherry, licorice and olive notes into a lasting impression of freshness. It’s also there in the texture, which feels ample, rich and as transparent as fine silk. A great vintage of Hill of Grace, the 2012 will likely be at its best between ten and 20 years from the vintage, and will live well for decades.” (Best Shiraz)