- See Hours
- +61 8 8564 8223
- Get Directions
Dark crimson with ruby hues. Intensely fragrant aromas of blackberry, Satsuma plum and blueberry are beautifully entwined with freshly crushed violets, anise and exotic five spice. The palate is plush and velvety with decadent layers of mulberry, dark red plum and redcurrant, revealing lingering notes of spice and pepper. The concentrated fruit core is balanced by fine, mature tannins leading to an elegant finish with exceptional length.
Due to the limited production from this single vineyard, a limit of 3 bottles per person has been applied.
SOLD OUT
2019 gave us many challenges to meet. With a warm and dry start to the season, a blanket of rich compost and mulch under the vines was especially important to keeping the roots cool and preserving soil moisture through summer. Due to wind, frost, hail and the hottest summer’s day on record, we worked hard to protect the precious bunches remaining. Although the yields were minuscule, the quality produced by these old vines shines through. Our love and nourishment in the vineyard has been returned in the wines.
Prue Henschke, Viticulturist
JANCIS ROBINSON JANSCISROBINSON.COM "Richly shaded, lustrous garnet. Rich, camphor nose with many layers. Real sweetness, with saltiness, on palate entry and waves of subsequent impact on the palate that has one of the longest finishes one might encounter. This remarkably small crop, thanks to hail and extreme heat in summer, shows no sign of dried fruit. There is quite enough juice and interest right through the tasting experience. Amazingly, you could enjoy drinking this now, even though the Henschkes suggest a life of 30 years from 2019."
MATTHEW JUKES MATTHEWJUKES.COM "A lot is going on here…waves of opulent fruit and near-silent elegance. Prue explained that she has worked extremely hard to build up the organic matter in the vineyard, which allows the vines to cope with warmer vintages as the soils retain a much cooler atmosphere…These myriad details all conspire to enable Hill of Grace to flourish in a challenging vintage like 2019, which is why this wine is so complete."
JAMES HALLIDAY THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN "The vivid colour, the perfume of the bouquet, the harmony of the red and black fruits, and the reassurance of precisely tailored tannins all add to the triumph of Prue Henschke in the vineyard, and Stephen Henschke in the winery. The synergy between these parts is such that there's no hint of a difficult - indeed, very difficult - vintage."
SARAH AHMED DECANTER "Brooding blackberry and blueberry, with pronounced black tea notes, set the statuesque tone. In the mouth a dense tannin fretwork contains the muscular wall of dark fruit. Over four days, subtle flavours and textures of plum sauce and pomegranate syrup, orange blossom and rosewater (bergamot?) emerge, while the spiciness amplifies, with pungent liquorice, sandalwood, allspice and meaty cracked black pepper. Impressive grip, freshness and precision."
ANDREW CAILLARD MW THE VINTAGE JOURNAL "Deep crimson. Beautiful cassis, blackberry pastille, roasted chestnut, espresso, herb garden, star anise aromas. Silky smooth and inky textured wine with ample blackcurrant, blackberry pastille fruits, fine loose knit graphite tannins, crunchy fresh acidity and beautifully balanced mocha, roasted chestnut, hazelnut nougat, dark chocolate notes. A lovely chalky bitter-sweet finish with a fine tannin plume. Saturated and buoyant with superb mineral length. Atypical for Hill of Grace but I suspect bottle age will haul it back into line. A fascinating vintage and a beautifully made wine."
HUON HOOKE THE REAL REVIEW "Deep colour, still retaining a good tint of purple, the bouquet dusty/earthy/terracotta at first, then spicy berry fruits and earthy char notes join in, with black-loam nuances and the palate is deep and savoury, full-bodied and well supplied with drying tannins. The wine took time in the glass to reveal the fine detail for which the vineyard is renowned. The finish is big on black pepper drying tannins and savouriness. Concentrated and deep, and begs to be left alone in the cellar for a few years."
ANGUS HUGHSON WINEPILOT.COM "This expressive and finely tuned 2019 Shriaz is generously proportioned but at this young stage of life still holds its cards quite close to its chest. There is a disticntly ripe chocolate and cocoa to start before licorice, black olive and spices start to rise. Excellent shape and composure, with a seam of al-dente tannins delivering both youthful drinkability but also having the backbone to assist significant aging."
"The regeneration of the Hill of Grace Vineyard has been one of the great joys of my life. The resilience of the vines to weather extremes and the wonderful lift in flavour, colour and tannins in the grapes is a very tangible reward. One that I am happy to hand down to our children and their children as they become the next custodians and nurturers of this tiny Eden Valley site.
I have always felt a deep need to nurture the earth, and to protect the many ecosystems and species in our beautiful world. My scientific training in botany, zoology and viticulture has been invaluable in my work over many seasons on the Hill of Grace.
In some ways time has passed in an instant, except I now see my grandchildren running through the rows, the soils are vibrantly alive and there are thousands of native plants around the vines connecting them to their surroundings.
Hill of Grace lives within the Australian landscape.
Many hands have nurtured this vineyard. I can see the work of our ancestors through their careful winter pruning. Skilful cuts that allow the sap to flow uninterrupted into the new season's growth. As the climate becomes more prone to extremes and unexpected events, we must plan well ahead to protect the vineyard through whatever may come.
2019 gave us many challenges to meet. Low winter rainfall left the soil profile unfilled, but our blanket of rich compost and mulch preserved the moisture that was there and kept the root zone cool to sustain our dry-grown vines through the summer’s heat. Soil micro-organisms also provided moisture and nutrients to the vines throughout the season.
With less fruit on the vines because of frosts during budburst and flower set, and hail that fell in late November, we worked hard through summer to nurture the precious bunches remaining. We lifted the canopy to allow the sunlight to build deep colour, flavour complexity and silky tannins. With miniscule yields, the quality produced by these 160-year-old vines shone through.
Our love and nourishment in the vineyard has been returned in the wine. The 2019 Hill of Grace is fragrant with an abundance of blackberries and blueberries, beautifully entwined with crushed violet, anise and five spice. The palate plush, with layers of spice and pepper over dark fruits, and the tannins fine, mature and seamless. In this very limited release, the essence of the vineyard lingers in every taste."
Prue Henschke, Viticulturist
Eden Valley
Eden Valley
Eden Valley
