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Nothing short of extraordinary
That Henschke's 'Hill Of Grace' is one of the world's greatest wines is unequivocal.
Johann Christian Henschke came to South Australia in 1839, establishing a diverse farm in the Eden Valley that included grape growing. Today the fifth and sixth generations of the Henschke family produce exceptional wine from more than 115 hectares of vines, including the miraculous 'Hill Of Grace' vineyard planted in 1860 by their ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitski.
First released as a single vineyard Shiraz
by Cyril Henschke in the 1958 vintage, the heart of the wine comes from the 604 vines, or 0.7 hectares of Shiraz planted in 1860 and known as the 'Grandfathers'. Adjacent to these magnificent vines are the half hectare 1910 plantings, or 'Post Office Block 1' and 0.57 hectares of vines planted 1965 known as 'Post Office Block 2'. All three of these plots are always included in Hill Of Grace. There are three other blocks that sometimes contribute fruit for the wine, depending on vintage: 'Church Block', 0.74 hectares planted in 1952; 'Windmill Block', 0.88 hectares planted in 1956; and 'House Block', 1.08 hectares planted in 1951.
The Henschke's embraced biodynamic viticulture many years ago. This allowed the replacement of inorganic fertilisers with naturally-produced compost, as well as the elimination of herbicides. Cow manure, egg shells and grape marc are combined to produce their own manure. But it is the phases of the moon that give biodynamics its primary influence, and the moon cycle has always played a very important role at Henschke. Indeed, Hill Of Grace is, and has always been, picked just before the full moon of Easter, irrespective of when Easter falls each year.
Production of Hill Of Grace varies dramatically from one year to the next, depending on the season. Fruit generally crops around 2½ tonnes per hectare, and there are usually about 2½ hectares of vines that go in to the wine in most years. However the vagaries of each season means total production has been as low as a single barrel of wine (in 2003) up to 16 barrels of wine, although a typical year may be around 10 barrels. No wine was produced in 1960, 1974, 2000 and 2011.
The just-released 2015 Hill Of Grace is one of the very best vintages of this Australian icon. It has already garnered a slew of incredible critical reviews, including the coveted '100 point' ratings. It is a wine deserving of a place in every serious wine cellar, and not to be missed.
Happy drinking
Stewart, Marcus, Ashlee and Peter.
Offer valid until Tuesday, 19th May unless sold out earlier.
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