"...truly exceptional, and is an icon of Australia for a reason...99 points." James Suckling on 2021 Hill of Grace
The latest 2021 releases from Henschke are released today, with superb scores for all three wines, ranging from 99 points for Hill of Grace to an impressive 95 points for their exceptionally good value Keyneton Euphonium.
This is the first release since the 2018 vintage, due to the impact of wildfires in 2019 and '20 which led to reductions in the size of the harvest of 70-90%. The small amount of '19 and '20 that was made will be held back as 'library stock', 2021 is a brilliant vintage and if you are not familiar with Henschke's wines, we urge you to try them.
Hill of Grace may be Australia's greatest wine, but the other bottlings from Stephen and Prue Henschke's estate are touched by the same magic, approaching it in quality, at a fraction of the price.
Henschke wines are extraordinarily long-lived and capable of adding layer after layer of complexity as they age. Stephen is a warm but cerebral man and his wines display both his personality and the old-world origins of his family (the Henschkes emigrated to Australia from German Silesia in the 1840s).
The original vines for Hill of Grace were planted around 1860, at 400 metres above sea level. The 4-hectare Hill of Grace vineyard lies opposite the beautiful Gnadenberg Lutheran Church (‘Gnadenberg’ translates to ‘Hill of Grace’ in German). Cyril Henschke made the first vintage in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters.
The current vines are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of Hill of Grace, along with a small selection of ungrafted Centenarians (vines over 100 years old), Survivors (vines over 70 years old) and Old Vines (over 35 years old) complete one of Australia’s most-celebrated wines. The wine was aged in oak hogsheads for 18 months, of which 20% was new and 80% seasoned (83% French and 17% American).
'Mount Edelstone' is a superb single-vineyard Shiraz, from vines first planted in 1912 in the Eden Valley. The vines are on complex soils at 400m altitude and the wine is aged for 18 months in American oak from the Appalachian Mountains.
Keyneton 'Euphonium' is named after the Barossa village of the same name. In the late 1880s the family also started a brass band here, famous for employing a special B-flat euphonium! The wine is from 50 year-old Shiraz vines in Eden Valley and Barossa, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, aged in 85% French oak and 15% American.
2021 Hill of Grace offered on allocation. We request balanced orders for Hill of Grace with Mount Edelstone (1:1).
Offered in bond, available for delivery in June.
Producer Profile
Henschke
The original vines for Hill of Grace were planted around 1860, at 400 metres above sea level. The 4-hectare Hill of Grace vineyard lies opposite the beautiful Gnadenberg Lutheran Church (‘Gnadenberg’ translates to ‘Hill of Grace’ in German). Cyril Henschke made the first vintage in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters.
The current vines are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of Hill of Grace, along with a small selection of ungrafted Centenarians (vines over 100 years old), Survivors (vines over 70 years old) and Old Vines (over 35 years old) complete one of Australia’s most-celebrated wines. The wine was aged in oak hogsheads for 18 months, of which 20% was new and 80% seasoned (83% French and 17% American).
'Mount Edelstone' is a superb single-vineyard Shiraz, from vines first planted in 1912 in the Eden Valley. The vines are on complex soils at 400m altitude and the wine is aged for 18 months in American oak from the Appalachian Mountains.
| RED | 2018 | 1 case | Henschke - Hill of Grace | 75cl | £1,080 per case of 3 | Henschke Hill of Grace 2018 / 1 case / 75cl £1,080 per case of 3 |
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Tasting Notes“Tasted in two different contexts, a few hours apart: first at the end of the vertical of Hill of Grace which stretched back to the 1958; then again, as the last wine in the line-up of new 2018s (Wheelwright, Mount Edelstone, etc). Coming after a cavalcade of developed, complex previous vintages – particularly the super-dense 2016 – the 2018 seemed refreshingly ‘elegant’, spicy and bright to smell, and intense but restrained and composed in the mouth. Tasting it straight after the Hill of Roses, by contrast, made its perfume seem a touch more subdued, but made you realise how much more depth, density, richness and sheer length it has in comparison to the younger-vine Shiraz from the same site. Either way, an exceptional vintage of the HoG. 18.5 points.” Max Allen, JancisRobinson.com, Mar ‘23------“...On the nose, the 2018 vintage assists this wine in speaking clearly of its regional location: raspberry and liquorice, coal dust, black tea and tobacco leaf. There are inflections of black truffle and bone broth, which always seem to emerge, however the wine is brighter and more focused than I have seen. It offers a beautiful, svelte display of fruit and tannin, with all things in harmony in the mouth. This is very long, as we would expect from the pedigree of this wine and the vineyard. It is concentrated and intense, sinewy, elegant and powerful—a wine for the future generation. 98 points.” Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate, Apr ‘23------“The 2018 vintage coincides with 150 years of Henschke family winemaking. This is immediately juicy and forward, then it regains its composure, remembers its origins and finishes closed and firm. This is a classic 2018 with a great fruit expression, yet the incredible concentration and inbuilt density of tannins are in perfect sync. The length is impressive, and the fruit character is kept up from start to finish, and while the earth, five spice and pepper notes seem to sit back a little in the glass, they are buried in this wine. Only 20% new oak was used here; I suspect because the earth and spice notes are so prevalent in this vintage, a decision was made not to push them even harder by adding oak, and so it is a fascinatingly juicy wine. 99 points.” Matthew Jukes, Club Oenologique, Apr ‘23------“The 60th anniversary of Australia's most famous single-vineyard wine, whose oldest contributing patch – the 0.56ha Grandfathers – was planted an incredible 160 years ago. There can't be many wines whose inaugural vintage came from 100-year-old vines! As always, it's a powerful, muscular wine built for the long haul, showcasing silky but structured tannins, fresh acidity, and concentrated, complex yet graceful flavours of ripe blackberry and boysenberry, lighter red and blue fruits, earthy beetroot, peppery cured meat and an exotic, herbal incense note. Named for the Gnadenberg Lutheran church which stands opposite the vineyard, itself named for the region in Silesia from which Johann Christian Henschke emigrated in 1841. 99 points.” Tina Gellie, Decanter.com, Mar ‘23------"A superb and harmonious Hill of Grace with wonderful complexity on the nose that keeps bringing you back to the glass. Minty blueberries, red berries and some blackberries. Heather and violets with beautifully integrated spices of peppercorn and five spice. Graphite, salt chocolate and cigar box, too. Intense, lush and concentrated. This is barely full-bodied but the concentration is simply effortless and the flavors grow on the palate. Super silky and svelte tannins glide through the even and cohesive palate. Persistent finish, lasting for more than two minutes. Let it breathe if you decide to open it now, but it will sleep well in your cellar, too. 99 points" jamessuckling.com |
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