Regarded as the best medium-sized red wine producer in Australia, Henschke has gone from strength over the past three decades under the guidance of winemaker Stephen and viticulturist Prue Henschke. The red wines fully capitalise on the very old, low-yielding, high quality vines and are superbly made with sensitive but positive use of small new oak. Hill of Grace is second only to Penfold’s Grange as Australia’s red wine icon. A founding member of Australia’s First Family of Wine.
The Mount Edelstone vineyard, situated in the Eden Valley, was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas, who founded South Australia. Unusual for its time, it was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500 million-year-old soils on the vineyard are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from over 100 year-old dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952, it became recognised as one of the greatest shiraz wines in Australia.
98 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2005 Hill of Grace is 100% Shiraz sourced from vines ranging in age from 57 to 149 years with the original planting in 1860. It was aged in 100% new French and American oak for 21 months. It is opaque purple/black with a spectacular bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, truffle, lavender, anise, mulberry, and plum. Loaded on the palate and already complex, this sweetly-fruited wine is surprisingly elegant as well as powerful, the iron fist in the velvet glove. It has a finish lasting over 60 seconds and will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2035.