Henschke Hill of Grace

Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz bottle image

Wine Description

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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Acclaim
“From a highly lauded vintage, this offers layers of flavor, from pure, juicy blueberry and plum fruit to fistfuls of rose and violet petals to cocoa powder, crushed stones and a savory, slightly meaty streak. It’s slinky and sexy, with ultrafine, filigree tannins that sink luxuriously into the wine. The oak is present but should fade into the background soon enough. Whether this will have the longevity of other, more tightly wound Hill of Grace vintages is up for debate. For ow, though, it’s one hell of a treat.”
— Wine Enthusiast, May 2021
“Henschke says the '15 vintage provided stunning and elegant Eden Valley shiraz with extraordinary flavours, purity of fruit and acid balance. And indeed that's a fair description of this medium-bodied Hill of Grace. The colour is still bright, clear crimson-purple, and the beautifully balanced fruit flavours are vibrantly fresh. It would be easy to underestimate the likely longevity of this wine. One of the all-time greats.”
— James Halliday, Aug 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Eden Valley
Vineyard name
Hill of Grace Vineyard
Soil composition
Alluvial sandy loam over clay
Elevation:
1,312 feet
Year vineyard planted:
~1860
Harvest time:
March 17-26, 2015
First vintage of this wine:
1958
Average Vine Age:
100 year average - oldest vines 150+ years
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Shiraz
Fermentation container:
Traditional open-top concrete fermentation tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Hogsheads
Type of oak:
French and American
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.44
Acidity:
5.7 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
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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 86% French and 14% American (33% new, 67% seasoned) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. The Henschke vineyards are nurtured under biodynamic principles.

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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’.