2018 Hill of Grace Shiraz

The Hill of Grace vineyard, in Eden Valley, comprises 13 separate blocks, six of which feed into the Hill of Grace Shiraz. The oldest block (0.56 hectares), known as "Grandfathers," was planted around 1860. The other blocks were planted in 1910 (0.33 hectares), 1951 (1.08 hectares), 1952 (0.7 hectares), 1956 (0.88 hectares) and 1965 (0.57 hectares). The 2018 Hill of Grace Shiraz was matured in a combination of new (20%) and seasoned (80%) oak hogsheads (83% French, 17% American) for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. On the nose, the 2018 vintage assists this wine in speaking clearly of its regional location: raspberry and licorice, 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. Henschke is one of two Australian wineries awarded the Green Emblem award, which recognizes their leadership in sustainability, toward long-term environmental health and biodiversity. The wines are of exceptional quality and regional specificity across the board, and the release of the 2018 Hill of Grace Shiraz (and the other top-tier reds from the same exceptional vintage) is a cause for excitement for writers and collectors alike. This year, due to pressing travel commitments, I sadly missed the 60th anniversary celebration hosted at the winery, where 26 vintages of Hill of Grace were opened, with bottles from all six decades of its production. It was a devastating blow to miss the tasting, but I'm fortunate to have tasted this wine many times over the years from various decades, and I am convinced that it evolves into a graceful wine of expressiveness and "sense of place." The 2018 vintage was a beauty: warm, largely free from disease pressure and responsible for a suite of wines across the region that still today speak of vitality, energy and grace. It will go down as one of the greats of the past decade and likely more and, for me, is on par with the great 2015.

The 2018 Shiraz Hill of Grace is stunning from the get-go, boasting ethereal aromas that immediately draw you in, including mixed spices, damson plum, new leather, five-spice and old earth notes with a gravelly edge. Oak sits comfortably in the background with remarkable all-around composure. The immaculate palate showcases robust flavors and muscular tannins packed tightly together. The wine slowly builds in the glass to reveal layers of roasted meat and spice with exceptional palate tension and vigor to finish. The 2018 is so complete and destined for greatness.

Full screwcapped bottle just 1,282 g. Bravo! 100% dry-grown, own-rooted Shiraz based on pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe in the mid 19th century and first produced as a single-vineyard wine in 1958. The deep silty loam holds moisture well in this site that is at an elevation of 400 m and benefits from an average annual rainfall of 520 mm. Included in the blend today are vines between 35+ and 100+ years old. This vintage was picked from 21 to 29 March and was matured for 18 months in oak hogsheads (83% French, 17% American) of which 20% were new. pH 3.46, TA 5.73 g/l. Mid lustrous, shaded crimson. Subtle nose of minerals and earth with quite a 'sharp' palate entry. Lots of ripe-but-refreshing fruit suggests there's hardly any tannin here at all. It's somehow more 'comfortable' and settled – less sharp – than Hill of Roses 2018, with notes of molasses but nothing heavy nor obviously sweet. Wonderfully long and refreshing. It does taste like a vineyard in a bottle! I'm sure Stephen H works awfully hard in the winery but this almost tastes as though he doesn't. Difficult to know how long this will still offer great drinking; the Henschkes suggest '30+ years from vintage'. (JR)