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Eden Valley

Deep ruby with violet hues. Rich and complex aromas of boysenberry, black forest, bramble and five spice, with notes of violet and sandalwood. A plush and rich palate of black plum, cherry and blue fruits are balanced by sage, black pepper and rosemary for long, fine-grained tannin finish. Drinking beautifully.



Product Information

Vintage
2008

Grape variety breakdown

100% shiraz from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe in the mid-1800s and grown on the Henschke Hill of Grace Vineyard in the Eden Valley wine region, managed with organic and biodynamic practices.

Technical Details
Alcohol: 14.5% | pH:

3.56

| Acidity:

6.1g/L

| Volume: 750mls

Harvest Date

9 - 13 March

Maturation

Matured in new (84% French, 16% American) oak hogsheads for 21 months prior to blending and bottling. Bottle aged in the Henschke cellar for museum release.

Background

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.

Cellaring potential

Excellent vintage;​ Drink now - 2045+

Download Tasting Notes

2008 Hill of Grace - Museum Release

Vintage Description

A mild and unusually frost-free spring provided regular rainfall in the lead up to a dry and hot summer. Fine flowering weather led to good fruit set, despite the drought of the previous year. Weather from mid-January through to February was the coolest in 30 years. An unpreceded 15-day heat wave in March caused vine stress, significant leaf drop, escalated sugar levels and fruit shrivel. Handpicking ensured the best quality fruit of intense colour and flavour was selected.

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