Hill of Grace Vineyard Shiraz

This is Stephen Henschke’s favourite vintage of H of G he said. This was the first vintage he bottled under screw cap and all subsequent vintages have been bottled that way. They have also experimented with the Vinolok glass stopper. As Stephen said “I love tradition and it is very important as a 6th generation family owned winery. However when tradition lets you down as it has with cork, there is time to evaluate better closures. “ He went on to say the 2002 has that distinctive Hill of Grace nose which you can’t define but it does have the trademark mint, spice and sage. The palate is profoundly intense and could go on for another 10 years but flirting with perfection right now.

This is the current release of Hill of Grace, the 2019, priced at $975AUD and incredibly Sold Out according to the website. Matched with the 2008 as both were from hot years. Initially a sooty, minerally earthy note on the nose. Then came Satuma Plum, blackberry, spice and pepper. Stephen said only 25% to 30% of the normal volume for sale. (Hence the Sold Out). He let us in on a secret that there will be no 2020 released. I asked if the fruit is used in another Cuvée. The answer is No - the grapes are removed and thrown out. Seems a waste. He went on to explain that H of G has a different spice character to Edelstone - more of an Asian spice. Mostly used oak is used to lessen the oak influence. Elegant yet intense and without a doubt one of the world’s great wines. Will live for decades.

A gorgeous nose. I can see why Stephen and Pru matched this with the 2019. Elegant even though from a hot year - shows the brilliance of those 160 year old deep rooted vines. More mature earthy notes than the 2019 showing leathery aromatics. Like the 2019, elegant yet intense with silky and velvety tannins. A brilliant wine. A privilege to taste this.

Still a very dense crimson with no tawny rim, at 28 years of age but the tawniness is beginning. A certain feral, Animale, earthy note. Palate is ultra smooth, medium bodied / very savoury yet with a sweetish earthy note with a hint of raspberry. Jancis Robinson was invited by Stephen Henschke to a vertical tasting at the winery in May 2013 to cover vintages back to the late 1950’s. She described the 1996 as “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. Medium plus intensity on the delicious palate with those gnarled old 160 year vines showing through. An absolutely stunning wine - one of the best we’ve had this year.

Soft plummy fruit, floral notes, seductive high toned notes. Really pretty and long. Gorgeous Jef ROPP

Lovely plum and lifted sharp fruit. Violets, roses and pure black cherry with garrigue. Long and vivid. Jef ROPP

Sunday lunch, where we always drink the best wine of the week. A perfect match with roast lamb. Lighter in colour than expected - almost transparent. Quite barnyard with the aromatics surprisingly with a little tobacco and dark chocolate. The opulent black fruits of its youth have transformed into a much more savoury wine after 25 years. This brings into question the age old query as to when to pop the cork on old wines. This was a terrific old wine but it left me thinking I would like a bit more fruit on the palate before those silky soft tannins. Still, it remains one of the world’s great wines in one of the most iconic vineyards with 140 year + old vines. The 2018 has just been released amid several 100 point scores and touted as one of the great H of G’s but at $950 I will pass.

Awesome. What a great bottle. Mid shoulder height, but still so plush and rich and concentrated. Great volume , length and persistence. Continued to open up and brighten up hours after opening! What a privilege to taste this. 🍷🍷👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

Only pale to mid crimson in colour with a tawny edge at 26 years of age. Black and blue fruits with game and a coffee bean note. The medium bodied yet rich palate is savoury and earthy with blackberry and just so so silky with resolved tannins and low acid. Not sure that I agree totally with Bob Campbell MW’s description - “like getting into an old Jag on a hot day”, but I love the imagery and can see where he’s coming from. Jancis said “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. The latest iteration of H of G (2017) is selling for around $950 a bottle in Brisbane. No doubt brilliant but too expensive for me. I remember paying $12.50 for the 1982 vintage on release. There is a certain H of G character that is recognisable over many vintages over the years. Must be one of the most unique Shiraz vineyards in the world with vines up to a 150 years old. A privilege to drink this wine and close to perfection with 98 points.

Spectacular effort. The wine meets you from the glass, confit cooked fruit with exotic spice, first impression is jam and not wine. Medium bodied with long burn. Is this the best Australian wine ?