Hill of Grace is surely one of the most evocative phrases in the world of wine. It is a translation from the German ‘Gnadenberg’, a region in Silesia, and the name given to the lovely Lutheran church that overlooks the vineyard. The 4ha single-vineyard shiraz planting is situated at the historic village of Parrot Hill 4km north-west of Henschke Cellars.
Vintage Description
The preceding winter was unusually dry, with frosty nights and clear days. The rain instead came in spring, and the luxuriantly growing vines benefited from the greenhouse effect. The indicators were of a hot dry summer, although only a serious burst of heat was experienced in mid January and again at the end of February; otherwise it was a mild summer, which had a significant delaying effect on the ripening process. An early onset of autumn caused a late harvest, with average yields, good to exceptional quality and intense flavour in the grapes.
Wine Description
Dark crimson with deep red hues. Lifted, pure, almost opulent, dark fruit and ripe plum aromas with herbal minty notes. The palate is broad and attention grabbing with incredibly sweet blackcurrant fruits and layers of youthful tannins, that showcase the structure of this elegantly balanced wine.
Drinking Window: 2010-2040
Background
The Hill of Grace vineyard, located near the family property, is named after a picturesque region in Silesia called Gnadenberg, meaning Hill of Grace. The beautiful Lutheran church across from the vineyard takes the same name and stands as a tribute to the settlers’ German homeland. The Grandfathers, as the vines on the oldest block are called, were planted on their own roots around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, using pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early settlers. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the famous Hill of Grace vines were over 50 years old and flourishing in the rich alluvial soil of the shallow fertile valley. Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard wine from the vineyard in 1958 using handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters.
