Hill of Grace Collection 2016 (new)

Hill of Grace 2016

A Congregation of the Ancients

I’ve walked this congregation of the ancients for more years than I remember. As a child I walked hand in hand with my grandfather Alf through the rows of vinous ‘Grandfathers’ that seemed so tall. Trunks too wide to embrace, full of whorls and wonder. Ghostly sentinels in the frosty winter paddock, magic green fingers that sought life in spring. Grapes burgeoned in the golden heat of summer. Harvest, the aromatic scent of fermentation; juicy sweetness filled the winery air.

As a young man I walked this field of ancients with the grower, my uncle Louis, and my father Cyril. Listened to their words. Tasted grapes as they ripened. Learned the language of the vines; how they responded to the seasons; sometimes open and lush, sometimes holding tight, elegant and pure. I watched the intuitive way Cyril transformed the gift of harvest into a psalm of the season, the field; the life blood of the ancients.

Once this congregation stood in Hermitage. In 1860 their offspring were nestled into the earth of the light-filled vineyard that became known as the Hill of Grace. In that same era, sadly their famed French progenitors all died out from the effects of the Phylloxera aphid. Miraculously their power and grace lives on in our Eden Valley.

As Henschke winemaker for four decades, I now walk among the ancients with my wife Prue, one of Australia’s most talented and dedicated botanically trained viticulturists. Her vision means the vines, managed with biodynamic and organic principles grow within the native landscape; an ecosystem of local grasses and flowering plants. With our children, we nurture and protect the Hill of Grace for future generations. We are pleased to present this gift of our harvest from the standout 2016 vintage, a beautifully opulent expression of an ancestral congregation.