Henschke Hill of Grace

I had the privilege of tasting the new, not yet released 2006 Henschke Hill of Grace last night. It is tempting to go quickly into describing the complex flavours of this stunning wine, but the key is probably to step back and look at the true uniqueness of this wine.

Hill of Grace is arguably Australia's most outstanding single vineyard wine. It certainly is a very special expression of the place it is grown. The vines, individually looked after, are on average over 110 years old, the vineyard is still surrounded by general farming, at a higher elevation in the northern and warmer part of the Eden Valley. Its expression is unique. The Hill of Grace is a feminine wine, very well balanced, with a lot of subtle complexity.

The 2006 opens up beautifully (in this quite inadequate tasting glass). There are many berry flavours, redcurrants and many spices, in particular cinnamon. It seems the soil profile is transported into the glass through these old vines. The wine is very elegant, the new oak cleverly woven into the structure. This Hill of Graces lingers on lightly on the back palate before closing on a silky finish. This wine is quite approachable now, but will gain more expression over time. Perhaps the best wine I ever had under screwcap.

Score: 98/+++