Henschke Hill Of Grace Shiraz 2017

Scores

99 / 100

"(David Brookes, 5/4/22) Australia's finest single-vineyard site? I think so. With its core of gnarled shiraz vines planted circa 1860 and its picture-perfect location alongside the Gnadenberg church, it is a much adored and discussed vineyard which has been producing stellar wines since the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace was released in 1958. Today, those original vines are bolstered with its 'young' 100+ and 35+yo kinfolk and aged in 83/17% French/American oak hogsheads (29% new) for 18 months. Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Chinese five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wild flowers and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit and a very long, silken finish that resonates with style and place. My goodness it's lovely."
- James Halliday's Wine Companion

99 / 100

"Muscular with great vitality and sensuality, Hill of Grace 2017 combines gravitas with grace. Supple swathes of fruit – blackberry with blueberry and red cherry – come scented with china ink, tinder bush, black pepper, star anise, wattleseed, tea leaf and baking spices. Tobacco pouch, mulch and subtle game undertones strike a savoury note. Rafts of seamless, spicy tannins build and buoy layers of flavour. Terrific authority, strength, complexity and length. Drinking Window 2023 - 2047"
- Decanter

98 / 100

"Strikes its own level of fragrant complexity and fruit vitality that places it a cut above the other 2017 Henschke Eden Valley shiraz wines, with aromas of boysenberries, red plums, blackberries and mulberries, swathed in baking spices, sage, brown pepper and forest wood. So fresh and very spicy. The palate has a very layered and elegantly fine brand of tannin, with a rich, velvety array of fresh dark fruit, such as blackberry and satsuma plum, swirling spice flavors and a late dusting of white pepper. The acidity is so well balanced with such fine and elegant tannins. Very detailed. The tannins creep and clench, claiming stealthy palate length that bodes well for cellaring potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
- James Suckling

97 / 100

"The original circa-1860 plantings are supplemented by centenarian vines and some other old vines (at least 35 years of age), but all on their own roots from the original vineyard. Despite massive expectations and perhaps a more challenging vintage, the 2017 Hill of Grace Shiraz doesn't disappoint, delivering ample weight, richness and expansiveness on the palate, coupled with impressive structure and length. Complex scents of camphor, raspberries and mulberries appear on the nose, alongside hints of sage, black olives and licorice, while the tannic, softly dusty finish lingers, suggesting plenty of longevity—20-plus years should be no problem for this beauty."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasting Notes