HENSCHKE Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley 2017 Bottle - Boxed - NO DISCOUNT

Description

2017 is the 56th release of ‘Hill of Grace’, first produced in 1958 from vines already almost 100 years old.

The revered Shiraz vines sit beside the beautiful Gnadenberg Lutheran Church (‘Gnadenberg’ means ‘Hill of Grace’ in German). The site’s original Ancestors (vines over 125 years old) are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of ‘Hill of Grace’, credited by Stephen for giving the wine its exotic spice component. A small section of ungrafted Centenarians (vines over 100 years old) and Old Vines (over 35 years old) complete one of Australia’s most-celebrated wines.

With just four hectares of Shiraz planted on this ancient, low-yielding vineyard, every vintage is a limited release. There was no ‘Hill of Grace’ made in 1960, 1974 and 2000. Just one barrel was produced in 2003; no vintage in 2011 and extremely tiny vintages for 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2020.

2017 delivered a beguiling Hill of Grace, a wine graced by vitality; a liveliness and capacity for a long life that has developed as the result of an exceptionally long and gentle vintage.” Stephen Henschke – winemaker

JANCIS ROBINSON 18+ points
"Full screwcapped bottle 1,265 g. The famous Hill of Grace west-facing vineyard 4 km north of Mount Edelstone that was planted with pre-phylloxera plants, the Grandfathers, brought from Europe in the mid 1800s, on very varied soils. Red-brown clay-loam grades to deep silty loam at 400 m over slate bedrock. Average rainfall is 520 mm a year. The original Ancestors vines are now about 160 years old. There are also centenarian vines and some that were planted about 35 years ago – all on their own roots, hence strict hygiene controls on those entering the vineyard. Each block is different apparently: House (the lightest soils with gravel in middle), Church (shallower red clay), PO Block 2 (shallower than 1), PO Block 1, Grandfathers (on the deepest soil with vines that take ages to ripen but offer exotic and spicy flavours), Windmill (less loess, more red clay and more vigorous – competes for latest with Grandfathers). An anti-frost fan was installed in 2005. Picked 18 to 21 April. This wine is really all about the vineyard rather than the winery. Matured for 18 months in oak hogsheads (29% new), of which 17% were American rather than French oak. pH 3.52, TA 6.4 g/l.
Sumptuous nose with an amazing array of savoury notes and with something distinctly mineral. Broad and absolutely bone dry – a contrast to Hill of Roses and Mount Edelstone. Very serious, almost gruff on the palate. Long with slightly more obvious alcohol than some. The tannins are almost hidden ('we spend a lot of time walking through the vineyard tasting for tannin maturity', according to Stephen Henschke). Amazingly long. But this is by far the most youthful of these new releases. 14.5%." Drink 2024 – 2040.

DECANTER Sarah Ahmed 99 points
"Muscular with great vitality and sensuality, Hill of Grace 2017 combines gravitas with grace. Supple swathes of fruit – blackberry with blueberry and red cherry – come scented with china ink, tinder bush, black pepper, star anise, wattleseed, tea leaf and baking spices. Tobacco pouch, mulch and subtle game undertones strike a savoury note. Rafts of seamless, spicy tannins build and buoy layers of flavour. Terrific authority, strength, complexity and length. Drinking Window 2023 – 2047."

HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 99 points
"Australia's finest single-vineyard site? I think so. With its core of gnarled shiraz vines planted circa 1860 and its picture-perfect location alongside the Gnadenberg church, it is a much adored and discussed vineyard which has been producing stellar wines since the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace was released in 1958. Today, those original vines are bolstered with its 'young' 100+ and 35+yo kinfolk and aged in 83/17% French/American oak hogsheads (29% new) for 18 months. Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Chinese five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wild flowers and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit and a very long, silken finish that resonates with style and place. My goodness it's lovely."

MATTHEW JUKES 19.5+ points
"By the time Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins at Henschke in 1914 the Hill of Grace vines were over 50 years old. These pre-phylloxera vines are among the most famous Shiraz plantings in the world, and they happen to be looked after by a family whose own roots are as deep as these vines. Slightly westward-facing and with a topsoil of windblown, high-nutrient loess, with red clay underneath and below this weathered blue slate, this is a truly incredible vineyard. There is some soil variation across the site, so there are six picks for Hill of Grace and one for the Hill of Roses parcel. This site has the same altitude as Mount Edelstone, but the wines could not be more different on the palate. 2017 Hill of Grace is inky black, and the nose is loaded with exotic spices, violets and chypre. This is a masculine, power-packed wine with amazing amplitude and depth of flavour, but it is in no way heavy or ponderous. There is a ‘cool vintage’ feel throughout, and this means that each indulgent black-cherry soaked sip is countered by revitalising grip and freshness, which is extremely enjoyable. Like a black panther waiting to pounce, this is a youthful, vigorous Hill of Grace, and while this is not a showy, sweet-fruited, juicy vintage, it is definitely a wine that will appeal to true connoisseurs of this estate because we all know that the leaner, more athletic wines will make old bones with ease! 2017 Hill of Grace is akin to a full orchestra performing an intricate piece that requires perfect command of each and every instrument. It is the antithesis of a greatest-hits, opera-light track packed with crowd-pleasing crashing and bashing, and this is why I really admire just how elegant this wine is in 2017. Drink 2030 – 2055."

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
"Strikes its own level of fragrant complexity and fruit vitality that places it a cut above the other 2017 Henschke Eden Valley shiraz wines, with aromas of boysenberries, red plums, blackberries and mulberries, swathed in baking spices, sage, brown pepper and forest wood. So fresh and very spicy. The palate has a very layered and elegantly fine brand of tannin, with a rich, velvety array of fresh dark fruit, such as blackberry and satsuma plum, swirling spice flavors and a late dusting of white pepper. The acidity is so well balanced with such fine and elegant tannins. Very detailed. The tannins creep and clench, claiming stealthy palate length that bodes well for cellaring potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap."

HUON HOOKE 98 points
"Deep ruby to brick-red colour with a tinge of purple lingering in the meniscus. The bouquet is very expressive and multi-layered with raspberry and cassis, regional dried herbs—especially sage and oregano, while the palate is tremendously intense and profoundly flavoured with multi-faceted flavours and the kind of effortless concentration and seamless texture that only the greatest shirazes achieve. There is something mysterious and hard to identify about this wine which is seriously delicious. A great Australian shiraz."

THE WINE ADVOCATE Rating 96
Drink 2022 - 2047
"The 2017 Hill of Grace Shiraz offers notes of blueberry skin, crushed granite, essene of cassis, blackcurrant pastille, black tea, hung deli meat, white truffle and mushroom. It is inky, intense, black and dark, with seemingly endless length. The palate is initially sweet, with a real "bottom of the pot" jasmine tea bitterness to the tannins, however, this remains ajunct to the nose, which is decidedly savory. What is clear, is that the old vines shine through the conditions of the vintage; they shine through the hand of Stephen, and they show a density and solidity of texture that young vines achieve through so few hands. This wine was perhaps a touch meatier (not chunky, literally referring to meat/pastrami/deli meats) and more savory than expected. However, it remains a thundering display of line, length and complexity."