Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz 2008

Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz is Australia's most famous single vineyard wine, sourced from the historic Hill of Grace Vineyard. This beautiful site was first planted in 1860 with pre-phylloxera shiraz vines brought from Europe. The oldest vines provide the magical ingredients in Hill of Grace. They deliver berries of incomparable texture and complexity, which gives the wine its trademark elegance, intensity and finesse. The first vintage of Hill Of Grace was produced by Cyril Henschke in 1958, which means the vineyard was almost 100 years old when the first wine was released! 

"I never score a wine 100/100, but the 2008 Hill of Grace is a 99-er. It’s one of the greatest wines I’ve tasted for some considerable time. Sumptuous palate flavour, with masses of tannin but also a core of sweet fruit endures. The finish is energetic and driving, the aftertaste lingers on for an eternity. A majestic mature shiraz in the prime of its life. A great wine!"  Huon Hooke (Tasted Feb 2024)

"Intense deep crimson in colour. The nose is attractive and enticing with aromas of sweet blackberry, blueberry, Satsuma plum and rhubarb, with characteristic nuances of oriental spices, black tea leaves, anise, tar and cedar. The palate is rich and concentrated with spicy plum, crushed herbs and Dutch licorice flavours. An amazing balance of acid, fruit intensity, weight and length create a powerful palate that finishes with long, fine tannins. Matured in new French (84%) and American (16%) hogsheads for 21 months prior to  blending and bottling."  Henschke (Dec 2012)

Expert reviews

"For decades, apart from very occasional exceptions, even (as distinct from odd) years have stood out as the stars. Why? I have no idea. (It will be some years before we have the evidence, but I expect 2021 to break that run.) The 2002, 2004, and 2006 vintages were all superb. Would it continue? More than continue: I’d suggest that with this wine—
as well as the 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018—even greater heights have been reached. This is not just a great Hill of Grace; it’s a world-class wine of supreme quality. Very dark maroon, this is fresh and bright, with black-cherry notes, florals, coffee beans, rose petals, truffles, blackberries, bergamot, spices, the finest dark chocolate, and cassis. Wonderfully complex, immaculate balance, incredible length, and abundant but ever-so-cushiony tannins. A glorious wine with decades ahead of it. The only reason it does not get the perfect score is where would that leave what is to come?"  Ken Gargett, The World of Fine Wine - 99-100 points (Tasted Oct 2023)

"I never score a wine 100/100, but the 2008 Hill of Grace is a 99-er. It’s one of the greatest wines I’ve tasted for some considerable time. Very deep, concentrated brick-red colour of appropriate maturity, the bouquet dominated by earthy/forest-floor savoury tertiary aromas with old leather armchairs, terracotta and dried porcini mushroom aromas to the fore. A subtle trace of licorice. Sumptuous palate flavour, with masses of tannin but also a core of sweet fruit endures. The finish is energetic and driving, the aftertaste lingers on for an eternity. A majestic mature shiraz in the prime of lts life. A great wine! Drink: 2024–2033."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 98 points (Tasted Feb 2024)

"Terrific colour and depth. Nose has almost bottomless depth and richness: very very dark spice and dark plum fruit aromas with baking spices and fragrant exotic Eastern spice notes. Plenty of baking spice here too. The palate has immensely supple and deep, dense tannins; terrific strength and length; and layers of ripe, rich dark plum and cherry fruit flavor. Tannins drive sheet-like through the palate and deliver long and juicy. The oak is beautifully matched, and there's a super creamy graphite-tinged impression with an immense future ahead."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 98 points

"Deep purple-crimson, even after five years. Explosively rich and decadent, with sumptuous black fruits that have soaked up the new and used French oak and carry the alcohol with ease. The grapes were picked early between March 9 and 13 before the heatwave ended. Each block was separately made and matured, and the final blend is not made until shortly before bottling. Screwcap. 14.5% alc. Drink Now - 2038."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points

"So to the main event, a wine that  already seemed very comfortable in its own skin, taking time to offer up its charms:  spicy licorice, subtle elegant and composed, not a show pony. Elegance personified. Only beginning to open up with hints of cinnamon, tea leaves, and soy sauce. It's the feeling on the palate that's so complete, that gossamer texture, the soft rounded fruit that feels like the antithesis of blockbuster, absolutely terrific line and length with a pine needle spice concentration and seemingly endless finish."  Patrick Haddock, The Wining Pom – 97 points

"Dark purple. Spicy and racy and with real energy. Dry finish but lovely five-spice notes. Very characteristic of the vineyard. Maybe you could even drink this with food now? Drink 2018-2042."  Jancis Robinson MW, 19.0/20 points

"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2008 Hill of Grace has a slightly closed nose before giving subtle notes of ripe black cherries, blackberries and violets with hints of cedar, pepper, green tea and cumin. There is a slight raisin character on the full-bodied palate with crisp acid, dense fruit and firm, grainy tannins, finishing long. Drink it from 2017 to 2035+."  Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate – 96 points

Hill of grace

The historic Hill of Grace Vineyard is without doubt Australia's most famous vineyard and was first planted in 1860 with pre-phylloxera shiraz vines brought from Europe. The vineyard is about 8 hectares in size and is divided into six distinct blocks of varying soils, vine ages and grape varieties. These blocks are vinified separately before a final blend is made prior to bottling. The six blocks are:

Grandfathers - 0.56ha planted in 1860 
Post Office Block 1 - 0.33ha planted in 1910 
House Block - 1.08ha planted in 1951
Church Block - 0.70ha planted in 1952
Windmill Block - 0.88ha in 1956
Post Office Block 2 - 0.57ha planted in 1967

"The Ancestor Vines of the Grandfathers Block are about 160 years old, and the Centenarian vines of the Post Office Block 1 are 112 years old", says Stephen Henschke. "Centenarian and Ancestor vines provide the magical ingredients in Hill of Grace. They deliver berries of incomparable texture and complexity, which gives Hill of Grace its trademark elegance, intensity and finesse."

To quote Ken Gargett, "The grandfather vines are some of the oldest on the planet. They predate phylloxera and are planted on their own rootstocks—yet another reason why the vineyard does not advertise its existence. The last thing anyone wants is an enthusiastic visitor accidently trekking phylloxera into the vineyard. The vines are dry-grown and, not surprisingly, low-yielding. Trellising is vertical shoot positioned.

The grandfather vines are picked separately, depending on ripeness. Organic and biodynamic practices have been used for many years. Native grasses grow between rows, and there is organic compost, while a wheat/straw mulch retains moisture in the soil, inhibits weeds, and promotes microbial life.

One aspect of the harvest that is perhaps yet to be fully explained, or perhaps fully understood, is that despite the timing of Easter varying by up to 35 days annually, the grapes usually reach perfect ripeness at the time of the full moon after the autumn equinox—namely Easter. This has been the case for decades and is extraordinarily reliable.

Of course, not even vines in the Hill of Grace vineyard will live forever. The Henschkes have been working toward the future for many years. The program began in 1986, when Prue and her team evaluated more than 13,000 Shiraz vines, starting with the Mt Edelstone vineyard and subsequently Hill of Grace. Eventually, they identified 154 vines from Mt Edelstone and 390 from Hill of Grace as the pick of the crop, so to speak. Cuttings were planted in a nursery, and after 30 years, the final selection was four vines from Hill of Grace and 17 from Mt Edelstone. These were planted in a specific vineyard in 2017 and will supply replacement vines in the future." 

The following article is reproduced from: https://younggunofwine.com/vineyard/henschke-hill-of-grace-eden-valley/

Home to Australia's most respected and expensive single vineyard wine, there is perhaps no more famous or revered vineyard in Australia than Henschke's Hill of Grace. It is also home to some of this country's oldest vines, planted by Nicolaus Stanitzki around 1860. That's the year when the Gnadenberg Lutheran Church was built, which overlooks the vineyard and gives it its name –a region in Silesia, Gnadenberg roughly translates as 'Hill of Grace'. With ancestral farming practices and an eye to regenerative agriculture, Prue Henschke is both nurturing the past and building resilience in the vineyard and enhancing the native environment for the long-term future. 

Prue and Stephen Henschke are the custodians of one of this country's most significant vineyards, which is the source of one of our most revered wines: 'Hill of Grace' Shiraz. That vineyard is in the relative cool of the Eden Valley, with a resource of significantly old and ancient vines. Prue Henschke has helmed the viticultural team since 1987, working across their vineyard holdings, as well as planting new sites. The vineyard is set on eight gently undulating hectares of land and set at 400 meters above sea level. 

The Hill of Grace vineyard is planted to own-rooted shiraz, with the oldest vines, dubbed the 'Grandfathers', planted around 1860. There are five other blocks in the vineyard, with vines ranging from 1910 plantings up to three blocks in the '50s and the most recent in 1965. Across those blocks, Henschke notes that there are five distinct "gradations in soil type" across the 4 hectares of vines.

"The first shiraz vines were planted in deep silt next to the creek line sometime before 1860 when the Gnadenberg Church was built," says Henschke. "Another shiraz block was planted in 1910 on clay loam and the rest of the vineyard was planted in the early 1950s on more clay loams and shallower loams over red clay. One has the remnants of a scree layer at 30 cm, which gives the best fruit in wet years." 

Henschke notes that each block has a role to play depending on the season, but there is a thread running through all of them. "The whole site is covered with a nutrient rich windblown sand as the topsoil," she says. "Good drainage and moisture-holding clays are ideal for shiraz and the Hill of Grace vineyard site contributes a beautiful five-spice aroma, while significant vine age contributes to the palate complexity of the wine." 

In 1989, a new planting was established that may eventually be included in the Hill of Grace blend (it is currently bottled as 'Hill of Roses'), but irrespective of that it is a valuable resource to protect the future of the vineyard. "The material for this vineyard came from a selection program on our old shiraz, which has resulted in a nursery of 19 selections, which will also provide planting material to preserve the precious genetic heritage of the pre-phylloxera vines, as vines need to be replaced," says Henschke.

"Being a botanist, the Australian landscape means a lot to me," she continues, "and I want our vineyards to sit in amongst that native landscape. Many of our vineyards are quite old and the big red gums remain, the peppermint box and blue gums as well. We looked at our surrounding land to apply permaculture principles and came up with two risks – flooding and wind damage." 

In 2003, a 32-hectare agroforestry block of eucalypts, acacias and native pines was planted at the top of the catchment to mitigate these risks. "Shelter belts of she-oaks, and peppermint gums were planted in contours for windbreaks for a new vineyard nearby," says Henschke. "There are headlands, gaps between blocks, creek lines and areas under the trees where plenty of revegetation can occur. The surrounding land can offer unlikely opportunities. The agroforestry block we planted has a gum, eucalyptus occidentalis, which is a favourite food source for koalas and is currently being coppice harvested for the rescue koalas at Cleland Wildlife Park." 

In addition to the benefits to local environment, native plantings have also increased the health of the vineyards, as well as naturally managing light brown apple moth and vine moth issues. "I had investigated a range of native plants that would act as companion plants, and I chose wallaby grasses for permanent swards and sweet bursaria and iron grasses as beneficial insect hosts," Henschke says. "Alongside mulching with compost and straw under vine, we have the advantages of better pest control, soil protection, organic matter build-up, no cultivation and no herbicides."

The viticulture at Henschke is built on a legacy of sympathetic farming, with the organic methods employed by Louis Henschke at Hill of Grace based on the approach of his ancestors. Taking the baton for that site in 1990, Prue Henschke has layered in biodynamic practices (not certified), as well as a wealth of learnings gathered over the years. "I have always been motivated to bring about improvement with ideas that come from across the world," she says. "Permanent swards and steep hillside viticulture came from studies in Germany, mulching came from South Africa, soft pruning from Italy, clonal diversity from France and Germany, native grass swards from my botanical training… There's nothing better than sharing ideas, as someone will always have some improvement to make, and there's great satisfaction in creating something new." 

Old vines are typically well-adapted to their location, but Henschke maintains that their investment in soil health has increased both their durability and the quality of the fruit. "The inputs to the vineyards are all about building soil health by adding compost and straw under vine, which acts as a buffer against the extremes of the summer," Henschke says. "This means the fruit has great quality and the resultant wines sit in the super-premium market category." 

That focus on the soil also involves spreading compost under vine to build up organic carbon and improve microbial activity and diversity, which has seen the organic matter increase from 1 to 3 percent, though Henschke's goal is higher. "My target is 5 percent," she says, "but already we have better water retention and reduced heat stress during summer. The compost is a great source of balanced nutrition for the vines so our yeast assimilable nitrogen in the musts is quite high – a sign of unstressed vines." 

The commitment also extends to larger environmental issues, with Henschke working on reducing their diesel use, noting that the Sustainable Wine Australia benchmarking results indicate their fossil fuel use is still too high. "We will be monitoring our tractor hours to see if there is any reduction we can make with the present management," she says, "but my wish is to replace our tractors, pumps and motors with electrically powered machinery from a green energy source." 

Through a combination of practices, Henschke has been improving fruit quality year on year, better expressing the venerable site. "Being a dry-grown vineyard, the under-vine mulching has made the biggest difference to the quality of the fruit," she says. "The permanent swards keep the beautiful sandy topsoil in place, giving us well-balanced vines and a cooler atmosphere during the ripening period of summer. The depth of colour and tannin maturity has improved in the wetter blocks by the adoption of vertical shoot-positioned canopies, and each year, we see that distinct five-spice, particularly star anise, character in the wine."

Stephen & Prue

Winemaker Stephen Henschke, fifth-generation family member and youngest son of Cyril Henschke, showed great interest in science and winemaking at an early age. With a wonderful family heritage of more than 140 years of grape growing and winemaking spanning five generations, this came as no surprise. He is proud that the Henschke name and reputation is inexorably linked with red wines in general and Hill of Grace in particular, but with winemaking in his lifeblood, he approaches all wine styles with the same depth of passion and commitment to quality.

Stephen has retained the traditional approach to red winemaking used by his forebears. They handled the wines gently, used minimal racking, low sulphur, and gentle fining and filtration. They took a puristic, holistic approach that had been passed down from generation to generation so his winemaking techniques are almost intuitive.  He keeps intervention to a minimum, favouring gentle extraction of his reds so as to retain freshness and subtlety, and applies Old World techniques to his New World white grapes for elegance and texture. At the '50 Years of Hill of Grace' celebration in 2008 when Stephen tasted every vintage – some for the first time – he was struck by how closely he was emulating his father's winemaking of the late 1950s and the 60s with his minimal intervention techniques.

Stephen is also mindful of his European roots and is a proud supporter of the historical language, food, religion and wine culture of his Silesian forebears still alive in pockets in the Barossa.

Stephen's support and contribution to the Barossa was acknowledged in 1984 when he was inducted into the Barons of Barossa wine fraternity, of which his father Cyril was a founding member.

Viticulturist, botanist and environmentalist Prue Henschke  manages their 105 hectares of vineyards in the Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills. With today's advanced viticultural practices the greatest focus at Henschke is given to the quality of fruit in the vineyard. The increase in quality of both the red and white wines, which has helped take this iconic wine brand to the next level, is largely attributed to the increase in fruit quality.

Although Prue didn't set out to work in the wine business, she has become a key figure in the evolution of Australian viticulture and wine. She has a commitment to restoring balance to the natural environment, minimising harmful impacts and to regenerating the Henschke vineyard ecosystems. This has seen her win numerous local and international awards.

Prue became part of the Henschke world when she married Stephen, a fifth-generation Henschke. And for over 30 years, she has been a true pioneer. Her influence in the vineyards has been a balancing act of respecting tradition and protecting history while making bold decisions to innovate and improve. She restructured the vineyards, introduced new trellis types and transformed soil management using composts and mulches, which has led to adoption of organic and biodynamic practices.

How has Prue managed to blaze new trails among precious, historic vineyards. It all comes down to science. Science is the link between the vines and the quality of the wines that come from it. And it's how Prue's world collided with the Henschke dynasty. Her early interest in science led her to study botany and zoology at Adelaide University in the early 1970s. There she met Stephen, a fellow science student. After graduating, the pair headed to Germany for two years, where Prue became involved in viticulture and plant physiology. She worked at the Geisenheim Institute Vineyards and volunteered on a project in the Botanic Institute at Geisenheim – an experience that sparked a lifelong passion and set her on the path to becoming a leading viticulturist.

After returning to Australia and studying Wine Science alongside Stephen, Prue gained more experience in viticultural research, before becoming a viticultural consultant. In 1980 she started working with Stephen, who had taken over as winemaker at Henschke. They bought an apple orchard in the Adelaide Hills, near where the very first Henschke vineyard had been planted in 1862, and converted it to a vineyard, creating a 'living research station' where they experimented and tested theories on cool-climate viticulture. This revolutionary research became vital in growing and improving cool-climate wine production in Australia.

In 1987, Prue took on her current role at Henschke. She not only manages over 100 hectares of vineyards but is custodian of precious old vines, some of which have been in the earth since the first days of the family estate.

Prue represents the pinnacle of viticulture in Australia. Her influence has reached cool-climate vineyards across the country, and in 2016 she was named Viticulturist of the Year at the Australian Women in Wine Awards. She is a highly respected voice in the Australian wine community and a strong campaigner for environmental issues. Prue is passionate about protecting the natural environment while growing grapes good enough to create Australia's best wine. And Henschke wines have never been better.

Reference material taken from: https://www.australianwine.com/en-AU/our-makers/prue-henschke

About the winery

Henschke is the best medium-sized red wine producer in Australia and is recognised as one of the world's great wine labels. It is home to Australia's most famous vineyard, the majestic Hill of Grace, which produces Australia's greatest single vineyard wine. Outstanding Shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and Rieslings are produced by the fifth and sixth generations of winemakers, with a focus on single-site expressions that tell the story of the land and the people that made them.

The Henschke family has been making wine since Johann Christian Henschke planted a small vineyard on his farming property at Keyneton in 1862. He was one of many Silesians who had fled their homeland in search of religious freedom. Johann Christian built a small two-storey cellar into the side of the hill and the first vintages of riesling and shiraz were released in 1868.

Each generation has built upon the foundations of Henschke. In more recent times, fourth-generation Cyril Henschke pioneered varietal and single-vineyard wines at a time when blended wines and fortifieds were in vogue. His greatest legacy was the creation of Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone in the 1950s, single-vineyard shiraz wines from Eden Valley that have captured the red wine world's imagination.

Today, it is fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke and his viticulturist wife Prue at the helm, passionately upholding the family name and reputation. This highly regarded team has won a multitude of awards that recognise the complementary nature of their roles and Henschke has gone from strength to strength over the past three decades under their guidance.

"Prue and I are the current 'keepers of the flame'. Just as earlier generations have done, we want to manage the vineyards and winery so they can be passed on to the next generation in better condition than we inherited them. The last 50 years have been an incredible journey for the Australian wine industry. Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone are arguably the two oldest single vineyard wines produced in this country that tell the wine story of Australia. Our vision would not be complete without the expectation that future generations will uphold and perpetuate our belief that such ancient and unique single-vineyard sites can produce exceptional wines that are prized for their beauty and rarity."  

In recent years Stephen and Prue have welcomed next-generation family members into the business. Their son, Johann, has carried on the family winemaking tradition in his capacity as winemaker and viticulturist since 2013, as the fifth and sixth-generations transition through the period of the transfer of knowledge, skills, and traditions.

With many of the challenges for the next generation already well-documented, Johann expects that innovation and careful strategic planning will be crucial tools for him and his peers to utilise. Above all, continuing on the traditional winemaking techniques which the Henschke family have used for generations, and ensuring that Henschke continues to be nurtured in the same prudent way that it has always been, will allow it to be passed on to successive generations and to be held in the same high regard as it is today.

 Henschke Vineyard Map