2014 Henschke Hill of Grace; 2013 Henschke Hill of Roses; 2014 Henschke Hill of Peace

Hill of Grace is a piece of Australian vineyard like no other.

2014 Henschke Hill of Grace; 2013 Henschke Hill of Roses; 2014 Henschke Hill of Peace

Hill of Grace is a piece of Australian vineyard like no other. It is the distillation of five generations of the Henschke family’s vision – of their faith and endurance, too, with no thought of earthly comforts, let alone riches. To this day the Eden Valley, north-east of Adelaide, is a remote place, with small groups of houses dotted here and there, not even towns as we use that term today. The roads are narrow, not always sealed, yet are in proportion to their need.

The family tree of the Henschke family starts with Johann Christian Henschke (1803-1873), its branches spreading over a century and more than 40 members. Large families were the order of the day in the 19th century, marriages often the cement holding families together, however tenuous the thread might be.

In 1860, Nicolaus Stanitzki – the maternal great-great-grandfather of Henschke’s current winemaker, Stephen Henschke – planted 0.56ha of shiraz on the 10ha property that would become Hill of Grace. That block, called Grandfathers, has always been the beating heart of Hill of Grace, supported by the Post Office Block of 0.33ha planted by Gotthard Henschke in 1910, and by a burst of activity by Louis Henschke in 1951, ’52, ’56 and ’65 – House Block (’51, 1.08ha), Church Block (’52, 0.7ha), Windmill Block (’65, 0.7ha) and Post Office Block 2 (’65, 0.5ha).

These total 3.94ha, but there are other parts of the jigsaw, not least the 0.94ha Post Office Block 3. In 1986, Prue Henschke embarked on a program to identify (by tagging) the best performing Hill of Grace vines. Top selections were made in 1989 as a nursery block, but when 14 years old, the quality was too good to justify the original plan, and the 0.32ha block now produces Hill of Roses. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Hill of Grace.

2014 Henschke Hill of Grace

The miraculous crimson colour is an early indication of a Hill of Grace that underlines its reputation as one of Australia’s greatest wines. You’ll never guess it came from a so-so vintage. It moves with grace from start to finish, red fruits keeping a narrow lead over dark/black berries. Tiny yield. 14.5% alc, screwcap 98 points, drink to 2054, $845

2013 Henschke Hill of Roses

This is the 10th release of this wine, which comes from two small shiraz blocks planted on the Hill of Grace vineyard in 1989. Despite the youth of the vines there can be no doubt about the quality or power of this wine, close to that of the ’12. 14.5% alc, Vino-Lok 98 points, drink to 2053, $390

2014 Henschke Hill of Peace

From semillon vines planted in ’52 on a small patch of the Hill of Grace vineyard. The wine was fermented in used barriques and matured for 12 months, with five years in bottle before release. This is the second release, its longevity underwritten by its great balance. 12% alc, screwcap 94 points, drink to 2034, $60