Product Information:
Shiraz was a standout variety in the 2012 season - showing great purity and spice, colour, intensity and strikingly mature tannins. Yields were average with exceptional overall quality. Captivating briary blackberry and mulberry aromatics lead to alluring exotic five spice, star anise and black peppercorn, with herbaceous notes of thyme and dried basil, supported by slight gamey hints. The palate has incredible length and purity, with a focussed core of blackberry and plum fruit, wrapped by beautifully integrated layers of silky tannins that linger endlessly with flavours of sage leaf and blackcurrant skin.
This is 100% shiraz grapes from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early settlers in the mid-1800s and grown organically and biodynamically on the Hill of Grace vineyard in the Eden Valley. The 2012 is Matured in 58% new and 42% seasoned (85% French and 15% American) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending the separate parcels from the vineyard and bottling.
Maker:
The prestigious Australian winery Henschke has remained a family-owned establishment for over 153 years and six generations. Situated in Keyneton, South Australia, within the esteemed Eden Valley wine region, Henschke proudly stands as a distinguished member of Australia's First Families of Wine. Since its inception in 1862, when Johann Christian Henschke planted a modest vineyard in Keyneton, the Henschke family has continuously crafted exceptional wines, forging a legacy of excellence with vineyards in the Eden Valley, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills, including acclaimed single-vineyards, Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone.
The fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Carl Henschke and his viticulturist wife Prue took over the operation of the winery in 1979 and they are recognised around the world for their exceptional quality wines, innovative spirit, focus on restoring native vegetation, organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard. Johann Stephen Henschke, the eldest of Stephen and Prue’s three children has become the sixth generation member of the Henschke family since 1983. With the background of higher education in wine making, viticulture and oenology, Johann is now based at the family winery as winemaker and viticulturist while playing an important role of transferring his skill set and knowledge from the fifth to sixth generation. As the next generation prepares to navigate the well-documented challenges that lie ahead, Johann recognizes the indispensability of innovation and meticulous strategic planning. However, amidst these considerations, he firmly believes in upholding the time-honoured winemaking techniques that have been cherished by the Henschke family for generations. By ensuring that the legacy of Henschke is nurtured with the same prudence and care as it has always been, Johann and his peers can pass on a heritage that will endure and command the same esteemed reputation that it enjoys today.
Vineyard:
The La Niña pattern weakened during the lead-up to the 2012 vintage, resulting in below average winter and spring rainfall. July was the driest since the serious drought of 2003. Spring was mild with few frost events; however, flowering and fruit set were affected by wet drizzly weather in mid to late November, leading to only average yields. Summer was also surprisingly mild with below average temperatures from southerlies off the ocean in January and only two short heat events, at New Year and at the end of February. This provided for slow ripening which allowed for intense fruit flavours, high colour figures, high acidity and mature tannins. Rainfall leading up to vintage was above average, with the heaviest rainfall events in late January and late February, which tied in well with the natural physiology of the dry-grown vines; ie, keeping leaves active at veraison and ripening. Temperatures were mild during harvest through March, warming to an Indian summer in April, allowing for a long window of picking and amazing maturities with the red varieties. Shiraz was a standout variety showing great purity and spice, colour, intensity and strikingly mature tannins. Yields were average with exceptional overall quality.
Nose - Dark Berry Fruits, Mulberry Jam, Forest Floor
A bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry and dried herbs, with the trademark hint of mulberry jam and a little forest floor.
Palate - Smoky Oak, Elegant Power, Roasting Herbs
Tight and contained, real elegance with power
Finish - Ground Spice, Soy Umami, Robust Tannin
Remarkably supple, fine-grained tannins, gorgeous texture, tremendous length. There is great profundity but also elegance.
Deep, dark red with a good tint of purple and a classic Hill of Grace bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry and dried herbs, with the trademark hint of mulberry jam and a little forest floor. The palate is powerful, intense, concentrated, with more smoky oak than Hill of Roses, but it's been subtly handled. Remarkably supple, fine-grained tannins, gorgeous texture, tremendous length. There is great profundity but also elegance. A very stylish wine. It's at a far remove from the blockbuster Barossa style. A totally authentic vineyard wine: it could not be anything but Hill of Grace. As a new release Hill of Grace, this is as good a vintage as I've ever tasted. I suspect it will rate 99 points when mature. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 98 Points.
One of the great iterations of this regal single-site wine. Very spicy, dried ground baking spices on the nose as well as dried sage leaves and other roasting herbs and a kind of wet chalky element too. Not the saturation and swagger of 2010 or 2009, a very tightly cut palate that's contained and reserved. Plenty of fine layers here and the sustained length is a real thing of marvel. The nose has all the blackberry and dark cherry fruits on offer with a wealth of fresh-roasted coffee, plums and blackberry. Tight and contained, real elegance with power and a long, fresh and even-handed finish. Best give this some time to fill out. - James Suckling, 98 Points.
Gravitas. Depth of fruit. Lift, life and spice but a weightiness, an aristocratic presence. Hill of Grace Shiraz has a special place in Australian wine life but this is a particularly special release. There are myriad flavours and aromas on offer here. It’s entrancing. Fennel, blackberry, violets, ground spice, a lick of soy, flickers of light, purrs of dark. A rumble of firm, integrated, robust tannin. This is a great one. - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 97 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Eden Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2012
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.5%
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