Description
1998 was a great vintage in South Australia and the 1998 Henschke Hill of Grace has received some mixed reviews but is considered a great wine. Hill of Grace is made from 100% shiraz grapes grown in the Hill of Grace Vineyard, Eden Valley, Sth Australia, the wine was matured in predominately new French and American oak before bottling.
The Hill of Grace vineyard was planted around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki. The vineyard is planted in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley which is north-west of Henschke Winery. Henschke Hill of Grace is a unique, delineated, single historic vineyard, opposite is an old Lutheran Church, built of local field stone, which was named Gnadenberg, meaning Hill of Grace.
The first single vineyard wine made from Hill of Grace was produced in 1958 by forth generation, Cyril Henschke. The original vines in Hill of Grace are now over 150 years old. The fruit is hand picked and vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. Hill of Grace spends about 18 months in a combination of new French and American hogsheads prior to blending and bottling. Henschke Hill of Grace is made in small quantities, it is now very highly sought by wine collectors and is a world class wine and sits along side or perhaps in front of Penfolds Grange as an iconic Australian wine.
