Henschke

Hill of Grace

Syrah/Shiraz & Syrah/Shiraz-based Blends
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz bottle image
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz bottle image

POS Materials

Tech Sheet Download Bottle Shot Download Acclaim Linkout

Henschke

Hill of Grace

Syrah/Shiraz & Syrah/Shiraz-based Blends

Over 165 years ago Johann Christian Henschke came from Silesia to settle and build his farm in the Eden Valley region. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the now famed Hill of Grace vines were more than 50 years old. They were planted around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the winery

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Wine Production

Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. Matured in 56% new and 44% seasoned (86% French and 14% American) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending the separate parcels from the vineyard and bottling.

Tasting Notes

Very deep crimson in colour. Rich and beguiling aromas of blackberry, blueberry and dark plum, followed by signature exotic five spice, star anise, and sage, with underlying nuances of beef stock and dark cedar. Intense and layered, the complex palate bursts with a dense, pure core of sweet spiced plum and blackberry, coated by firm yet integrated, fine velvety tannins which draw away to an extraordinarily long finish and lingering flavours of dried, sweet spices.

Over 165 years ago Johann Christian Henschke came from Silesia to settle and build his farm in the Eden Valley region. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the now famed Hill of Grace vines were more than 50 years old. They were planted around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the winery

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Wine Production

Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. Matured in 56% new and 44% seasoned (86% French and 14% American) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending the separate parcels from the vineyard and bottling.

Tasting Notes

Very deep crimson in colour. Rich and beguiling aromas of blackberry, blueberry and dark plum, followed by signature exotic five spice, star anise, and sage, with underlying nuances of beef stock and dark cedar. Intense and layered, the complex palate bursts with a dense, pure core of sweet spiced plum and blackberry, coated by firm yet integrated, fine velvety tannins which draw away to an extraordinarily long finish and lingering flavours of dried, sweet spices.

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Download Bottle Shot Download Acclaim Linkout
97
POINTS
"Another terrific HoG, the 2013 Hill of Grace Shiraz is dense and rich, thickly concentrated and full-bodied yet not heavy or bulky in the slightest. It's kept lively through a fine dusting of savory spices—allspice, clove, star anise—and juicy, mouthwatering acids, which support the blackberry and plum fruit. The finish, framed by softly dusty and supple tannins, suggests a wine capable of at least two decades of positive evolution."
Wine Advocate
97
POINTS
"A dry season with reduced yields, but all the DNA is here with a rich array of baking spices permeating ripe blackberries, red berries and plums. Chocolate, plum cake, currants, freshly turned and loamy earth and dried sage leaves, too. Very complex. The palate's smoothly arranged around the fine, long tannins that carry a concentrated core of blackberries, tarry, dark stony flavors, ripe blood plums and a long trail of deeply spicy warmth through the finish. Hints of mocha and expresso to close. Elegant, complex and complete. This is very approachable now. Typically though, it's a wine that is best drunk at 20 or more years from vintage."
James Suckling
97
POINTS
“A dry season with reduced yields, but all the DNA is here with a rich array of baking spices permeating ripe blackberries, red berries and plums. Chocolate, plum cake, currants, freshly turned and loamy earth and dried sage leaves, too. Very complex. The palate's smoothly arranged around the fine, long tannins that carry a concentrated core of blackberries, tarry, dark stony flavors, ripe blood plums and a long trail of deeply spicy warmth through the finish. Hints of mocha and expresso to close. Elegant, complex and complete. This is very approachable now. Typically though, it's a wine that is best drunk at 20 or more years from vintage.” (#13 of Top 100 Australian Wines of 2018)
James Suckling
97
POINTS
“Despite the hot, early 2013 harvest, Australia’s most famous single-vineyard wine is once again a thing of beauty. The nose croons to a medley of ripe red berries and plums followed by eucalyptus, black pepper, pencil lead on a core of damp earth and iodine. The palate slinks with a satiny texture and primary fruit. Charred wood, leather and graphite are knit together with threads of fine, silky tannins. The finish is long, tangy and a touch savory. In this historic producer’s signature style, power and elegance reside seamlessly beside one another.”
Wine Enthusiast
96
POINTS
"Bright purple color. Ripe, mineral-accented black and blue fruit preserves, licorice, mocha and violet on the expansive nose, along with cola and exotic spice accents. Stains the palate with deeply concentrated cherry-vanilla, dark berry, candied violet and spicecake flavors that build steadily as the wine opens up. Finishes broad, sappy and extremely long, showing superb energy, building tannins and lingering dark berry and floral notes.”
Vinous
94
POINTS
“Elegant and refined, but still showing a succulent side, featuring creamy notes of maraschino cherry, raspberry coulis and fresh pomegranate at the core. Accents of sage, tobacco and espresso come in on the finish. Expressive and generous, with polished, lithe tannins.”
Wine Spectator
94
POINTS
“Elegant and refined, but still showing a succulent side, featuring creamy notes of maraschino cherry, raspberry coulis and fresh pomegranate at the core. Accents of sage, tobacco and espresso come in on the finish. Expressive and generous, with polished, lithe tannins.”
Wine Spectator
94
POINTS
“Elegant and refined, showing a succulent side, with creamy notes of maraschino cherry, raspberry coulis and fresh pomegranate. Shiraz.”
Wine Spectator

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:
Hill of Grace Vineyard
Soil composition:
Allivial sandy loam over clay
Elevation:
1,312 feet
First vintage of this wine:
1958
Average Vine Age:
100 year average - oldest vines 150 years

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:
100% Shiraz
Fermentation container:
Traditional open-top concrete fermentation tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Fining agent:
Animal based
Type of aging container:
Hogsheads
Type of oak:
French and American
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months

Analytical Data

pH level:
3.6
Acidity:
5.9 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
Residual sugar:
0.7 g/L

About the Vineyard

The red-brown earth grading to deep silty loam has excellent moisture-holding capacity for these dry-grown vines, that sit at an altitude of 400m, with an average rainfall of 520mm. Hill of Grace is a unique, delineated, historic single vineyard that lies opposite a beautiful old Lutheran church, which is named after a picturesque region in Silesia known as Gnadenberg, meaning ‘Hill of Grace’.

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