2021 Hill of Grace

Eden Valley

Shiraz

Deep crimson with ruby hues. Enchanting aromas of black plum, Dutch cocoa, blackberry, blueberry and cassis, layered with evocative spice notes of star anise, nutmeg, crushed flowering herbs, sage oil and black peppercorn. A fine and elegant palate of complex spiced dark berries, violets and hints of cedar, with refined acidity carrying feathered, velvety tannins for a long and lingering, effortless finish.

$1,000.00
$1,000.00
Deep crimson with ruby hues. Enchanting aromas of black plum, Dutch cocoa, blackberry, blueberry and cassis, layered ...

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Due to limited production, bottle limits apply.
THE VINTAGE

Average rainfall in the winter of 2020 was followed by even budburst, with buds showing good fruitfulness. Frost damage was significant, and spring was cloudy, with good rains pre-flowering, followed by short bursts of hot weather in late November. The late-flowering varieties were impacted by heat at the end of November and strong winds in early December damaged the canopies, although the crop remained disease free. January was dry, with a burst of heat prior to a perfectly timed rain event at veraison in early February. The lead up to vintage was cool, cloudy and mostly dry. After our coolest summer for 19 years, a warm autumn provided ideal conditions for ripening in our red varieties, achieving excellent colour, flavour intensity and tannin maturity. The 2021 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade; remembered for complex wines with exceptional varietal expression, balance and purity, that speak of the ancient land from which they originate. With a likeness to the high-quality vintages of 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2015, all of which were mild seasons, the 2021 single-vineyard wines show an impressive potential for long-term ageing in ideal cellaring conditions.

THE HISTORY

Over 180 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. The original vines, known as the ‘Grandfathers’, were planted around 1860 by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the Henschke family winery. 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 region in Silesia known as Gnadenberg, translating to ‘Hill of Grace’. Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. The original Ancestors (vines over 125 years) are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of the Hill of Grace wine, along with a small selection of Centenarians (vines over 100 years), Survivors (vines over 70 years), and Old Vines (vines over 35 years), all planted on their own roots.

TASTING NOTES
PRODUCT INFORMATION

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 30 -31 March

Alcohol: 14.5%

Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 13% new and 87% seasoned (84% French, 16% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

Average rainfall in the winter of 2020 was followed by even budburst, with buds showing good fruitfulness. Frost damage was significant, and spring was cloudy, with good rains pre-flowering, followed by short bursts of hot weather in late November. The late-flowering varieties were impacted by heat at the end of November and strong winds in early December damaged the canopies, although the crop remained disease free. January was dry, with a burst of heat prior to a perfectly timed rain event at veraison in early February. The lead up to vintage was cool, cloudy and mostly dry. After our coolest summer for 19 years, a warm autumn provided ideal conditions for ripening in our red varieties, achieving excellent colour, flavour intensity and tannin maturity. The 2021 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade; remembered for complex wines with exceptional varietal expression, balance and purity, that speak of the ancient land from which they originate. With a likeness to the high-quality vintages of 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2015, all of which were mild seasons, the 2021 single-vineyard wines show an impressive potential for long-term ageing in ideal cellaring conditions.

Over 180 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. The original vines, known as the ‘Grandfathers’, were planted around 1860 by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the Henschke family winery. 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 region in Silesia known as Gnadenberg, translating to ‘Hill of Grace’. Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. The original Ancestors (vines over 125 years) are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of the Hill of Grace wine, along with a small selection of Centenarians (vines over 100 years), Survivors (vines over 70 years), and Old Vines (vines over 35 years), all planted on their own roots.

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 30 -31 March

Alcohol: 14.5%

Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 13% new and 87% seasoned (84% French, 16% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

20/20

“While its scale is breathtakingly impressive, there is thrilling elegance here, too. This is a spectacular wine from start to finish, with every molecule in its place... 2021 is a genuinely humbling wine, and it represents another chapter of wonder in the legend of this ancient land.”   

MATTHEW JUKES, MATTHEWJUKES.COM

100 points

“Knife-edge balance, incredible length, that creamy and seductive texture, silk tannins – this is an amazing wine which more than lives up to the hype. Well cellared examples should provide immense pleasure over the next forty to fifty years.”

ken gargett, quill and pad

100 points

"A beguiling and lasting landmark Hill of Grace vintage with wonderful definition, vinosity and torque."

ANDREW CAILLARD MW, THE VINTAGE JOURNAL

99 points

“This release will go down in the annals of Australian fine wine as one of the classic releases for Hill of Grace… An absolute classic for this wine.”

DAVE BROOKES, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

99 points

“It is truly exceptional, and is an icon of Australia for a reason.” 

RYAN MONTGOMERY, JAMESSUCKLING.COM  

99 points

“A superb wine of intricate detail and
elegance.” 

HUON HOOKE, THE REAL REVIEW 

99 points

“A good Hill of Grace is to be cherished, a great Hill of Grace venerated. This unquestionably is one of the greats.”

NICK RYAN, THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE

99 points

“…anything is possible age-wise given both the complexity of the wine and its already seamless presence in the glass.” 

JENI PORT, WINEPILOT.COM

99 points

“True Grace in every sense.”

TYSON STELZER, TYSONSTELZER.COM

99 points

“I don't think I have seen such a combination of poise and elegant refinement without compromising on the deep fruit concentration and power that is part of the vineyard DNA."

RAY JORDAN, BUSINESS NEWS