With over 155 years of history, Henschke’s Hill of Grace is easily Australia’s most sought after single vineyard wine, and rivals Penfolds Grange for the title of the country’s greatest ever wine. It is a translation from the German ‘Gnadenberg’, a region in Silesia, and the name given to the lovely Lutheran church that overlooks the vineyard. The 4ha single-vineyard shiraz planting is situated at the historic village of Parrot Hill 4km north-west of Henschke Cellars in Eden Valley established by Nicolaus Stanitzki (around 1860) and has since been handed down through the generations to the Henschke family. Although first produced in 1958 by Cyril Henschke, it took nearly 30 years before the Hill of Grace Shiraz became truly famous, an effort recognised to be connected to the hard work and dedication of Stephen and Prue Henschke. Today the viticulture at the Hill of Grace vineyard is blessed with the practical wisdom and knowledge passed down from past generations and the advantages of international learnings and research. In a dry-grown vineyard on its own roots, Prue has observed the benefits of mulching, composting and the use of permanent swards including native grasses, to build up the health of soils and preserve soil moisture. The inclusion of biodynamic principles in the vineyard management gives a twofold benefit – replacement of inorganic fertilisers with compost and the exclusion of herbicides. While planting local native plants provides nectar to attract beneficial insects and helps with pest and disease control. The influence of the moon cycles has always been an important and familiar feature in the operation of the Henschke vineyards, with the Hill of Grace vineyard always being picked just before the harvest moon of Easter.
The 2008 vintage in Eden Valley was preceded by an average rainfall and a mild and unusually frost- free spring with regular rainfall periods. Fine flowering weather meant good set despite the expectation that the previous drought year of 2007 would affect yields. The vines also showed surprisingly vigorous growth. A dry and hotter than average early summer caused smaller berry and bunch size. Although temperatures climbed to over 40C around New Year and in mid-February, the weather from mid-January through February was the coolest for 30 years, allowing amazing development of fruit colour, flavour and maturity. Unexpected searing heat seemed never-ending and resulted in stressed vines, significant leaf drop, escalating sugar levels in the fruit and significant shrivel. A cool change followed, which brought relief; however it was too late for fruit still hanging, which had literally cooked on the vine. Selective early morning handpicking, leaving shrivelled fruit on the vines, gave the best quality, resulting in some amazing intensely coloured and flavoured reds, in particular shiraz.
