Hill of Grace Vineyard Today
All vines are planted on their own roots. Shiraz cuttings were brought to these ancient lands by early settlers from the Hermitage region of France. Today they are a living genetic trasure, a poignant reminder of the European vine heritage destroyed by phylloxera in the late 1800s.
Just half of the Hill of Grace vineyard is planted with shiraz, designated as eight individual blocks. Only the six oldest blocks are used in Hill of Grace Shiraz. The remaining 4 hectares are planted with riesling, semillon and mataro. For many years Hill of Grace Shiraz was the star of the site but, in 2001, the Henschke family created Hill of Roses from the nursery shiraz vines. In 2008 they made the first Hill of Faith Mataro, and, in 2012, the first Hill of Peace Semillon. These additional single-vineyard wines will only be released from the best seasons.
Centenarian and ancestor vines provide the magical ingredients in Hill of Grace Shiraz. Magestic and gnarled, the oldest, known as “The Grandfathers”, are more than 155 years of age. They are dry-grown, which allows the plants to find balance with nature, and are naturally low yielding due to their age. They deliver small berries of incomparable texture and complexity, which give Hill of Grace its trademark elegance, intensity and finesse.
The soils on these slopes are thick, red, clay-rich loams overlain by a veneer of brown, fine, sandy-to-silty loam. Near Parrot Hill Creek, there is an additional layer of alluvial silty loam. The Grandfathers and Post Office Block 1 vines, in the western parts of the vineyard, are on these soils, which have good moisture-holding capacity down to at least 1.5m. On the House Block, in the eastern part of the vineyard, the red clay soil is free draining. It is overlain by a layer of grawl wash from the hill to the east, then by a layer of the same fine sandy-to-silty loam found in the western parts of the vineyard. The soil profiles in the rest of the vineyard vary between these two types.
Fruit is picked across the six blocks at different times, according to ripeness and maturity, and the wine is made as individual lots. Keeping the blocks separate allows for variation of soil types, vigour and age of the vines, all of which produce different flavours that combine to make the complete wine. The vineyard is run using organic and biodynamic practices. Permanent swards of mainly native grasses are mowed low in the rows. Organic compost covered by a wheat-straw mulch under the vines helps to retain soil moisture, build up organic matter and microbial life, and inhibit weed growth. Constant monitoring for pests and disease through the growing season reduces the need for spraying. Local native plants are used to provide nectar, which attracts beneficial insects that assist with pest and disease control.
The influence of the moon cycles has always been an important and familiar feature in the operation of the Henschke vineyards. The Hill of Grace Vineyard is picked around the full moon at Easter.
