1985 Henschke Hill of Grace

Notes sourced from Henschke.

Grape Variety: 100% shiraz grapes from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early German settlers in the mid 1800s and grown in the Eden Valley Wine Region.

Background: Hill of Grace is a unique delineated single historic vineyard. The famous century-old Hill of Grace vines were planted around the 1860s by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the winery. The vineyard lies opposite a beautiful old Lutheran Church, built of local field stone, which was euphoniously named Gnadenberg, meaning ‘Hill of Grace’.

Vintage Description: Good winter rains followed by a mild spring and a very mild long dry summer provided a slow ripening resulting in excellent quality wines.

Tasting Notes: Brick red in colour. Slightly herbal with anise green, stalky/medicinal characters, exotic five-spice and plums. Fleshy mid-notes with soft velvety tannins and a long finish.

Cellaring Potential: Excellent vintage, optimum year 2010. Reviewed April 2002 by Stephen Henschke. Decant before serving.
Alcohol: 12.0%