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Hill of Grace, Henschke 2017

RegionAustralia
Subregion Australia > South Australia > Eden Valley
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyShiraz

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Tasting Notes

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.

99
David Brookes, Wine Companion, April 2022

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.

98
Huon Hooke, The Real Review, March 2022

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

18+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2022

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.

19.5
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, March 2022

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.

98
Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com, March 2022

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

99
Sarah Ahmed, Decanter.com, March 2022
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.