Description
1999 Henschke Hill of Grace, rated 98/100 by Robert Parker Jnr. The 1999 vintage was excellent for Barossa/Eden Valley shiraz.
More than 165 years ago, Johann Christian Henschke settled on a farm which was located in the Eden Valley, South Australia. In 1914, Paul Alfred Henschke (third generation) took over and the famous Hill of Grace shiraz vines were now more than 50 years old.
The Hill of Grace vineyard was planted around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki. The Hill of Grace 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 145 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 tiny amounts, it is a world class wine and sits along side Penfolds Grange as an iconic Australian wine.
Robert Parkers Tasting notes. ” Full-bodied, magnificently concentrated, pure, and delineated, This gorgeous, still young, compelling Shiraz is another example of a vintage that more and more appears to be underrated. It should hit its prime in 2-4 years, and last 15-20″. Rating: 98 points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate. Henschke Hill of Grace is a world class wine
