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  • Country ranking ?

    82
  • Producer ranking ?

    30
  • Decanting time

    5h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Kangaroo Meatballs with Garlic and Basil Tomato sauce

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Parkerpoints: 99p The 2005 Hill of Grace is 100% Shiraz sourced from vines ranging in age from 57 to 149 years with the original planting in 1860. It was aged in 100% new French and American oak for 21 months. It is opaque purple/black with a spectacular bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, truffle, lavender, anise, mulberry, and plum. Loaded on the palate and already complex, this sweetly-fruited wine is surprisingly elegant as well as powerful, the iron fist in the velvet glove. It has a finish lasting over 60 seconds and will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2035.

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The Story

Nicolaus Stanitski, a Henschke ancestor, originally planted the Hill of Grace vineyard during the 1860s above the Barossa Valley. During the 1950s Cyril Henschke took his family concern back to wine and established the Hill of Grace label in 1956. The Shiraz vines – many now over 140 years old – are among the world's oldest genetic Shiraz plant material. It is remarkable that the vineyard remained intact considering the economic uncertainty and the social conditions of the time. The vineyard is planted on red clay soils overlain by sandy and silty loams interspersed with gravels.

There are several blocks including Grandfather’s Post Office Blocks One and Two, Young which is made up of the younger selected material located near the vines of the old post office, and the Church Block, House Block and Windmill Block. Vintage takes place during mid to late April, each parcel vinified separately to maximise blending options. The Hill of Grace style has developed along Grange lines, but by a circuitous route. Vinification takes place in open headed down fermenters with regular pumping over. Towards dryness the wine is drained and pressed. Partial barrel fermentation in a combination of new American and French oak follows to integrate oak and create complexity. The wine is then allowed to mature in the same oak for a period of about 18 months before bottling and further maturation. 

HILL OF GRACE

Location: Eden Valley wine region, 4 km north-west of Henschke Cellars at Keyneton, in the Barossa Range, South Australia.

Varieties: Shiraz (on own roots). Vines originate from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early European settlers. Riesling and Semillon.

Wines Produced: Shiraz – individual vineyard bottling since 1958.

Age: Oldest vines planted in 1860s.

Average Yield: 5 tonnes/hectare (2 tonnes/acre)

Soil: Alluvial, sandy loam over clay.

Trellis: 2 wire vertical/single wire at 70 centimetres.

Planting: Wide planting – 3.1 metres x 3.7 metres. Most are planted east-west, some north-south. Dry grown.

Treatments: Tilled and dodged for many years without herbicide. Only copper and sulphur used for foliage sprays. Now mulched and grassed down. Fungus problems are minimal. Vineyard can be considered 'organic'.

Maintenance Quality: Mass selection carried out over two growing seasons. Establishment of a mother source block.

Rainfall: 520 mm

Altitude: 400 metres


Year Vintage Quality Optimum Drinking

1984 Exceptional 20+ years
1985 Exceptional 15+ years
1986 Exceptional 20+ years
1987 Very Good 15+ years
1988 Exceptional 15+ years
1989 Great 15+ years
1990 Exceptional 20+ years
1991 Excellent 20+ years
1992 Excellent 20+ years
1993 Great 15+ years
1994 Exceptional 20+ years
1995 Excellent 20+ years
1996 Exceptional 25+ years
1997 Very Good 15+ years
1998 Exceptional 20+ years
1999 Excellent 20+ years
2000 Not Produced
2001 Excellent 20+ years
2002 Exceptional 25+ years
2003 Great 15+ years
2004 Excellent 20+ years
2005 Exceptional 20+ years
2006 Exceptional 20+ years
2007 Great 20+ years

 

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Wine Information

Vintage 2005 was early, warm, quick - fantastic quality with good yields - and exhausting.

Above average winter rains led into a beautiful spring, with some early November frosts but good flowering weather in late November and early December. Summer was wet and wild, with an amazing roller-coaster of weekly thunderstorms that helped maintain good subsoil moisture. Rains in January were followed by a dry February, and the dry weather continued right through the autumn. Warmer than usual autumnal weather caused an early, compact harvest of above average yields. The late Indian summer lasted into May, well after all the fruit was harvested with colour, flavour and maturity figures not seen since the 2002 vintage.

The quality of the 2005 vintage is sure to be ranked as one of the best on record, after 2002, with all varieties showing strongly. Once again the signature varieties for Eden Valley, ie, riesling and shiraz, performed brilliantly.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Medium, Extensive and Flavorful

nose

Open, Fresh and Seductive

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, Perfectly balanced, Complex, Good texture, Developing, Firm, Round, Rich and Silky tannins

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

For most of us, an aged Hill of Grace is something long forgotten or all too rarely encountered, but as there was no release for the 2011 vintage as the grapes just did not step up to the requisite level of quality, the Henschke family came up with the idea of re-releasing a couple of older stars as a package. So you can grab the ’05 and ’06 from the Henschke cellars! Inevitably, they are not cheap but both are stunning wines. The 2005 is beautifully fragrant, seamless, balanced, exquisite. Cloves, olives and spices. Superb. Still has 30 years ahead of it.

97

  • 97p

“Very good retention of hue; the bouquet is now moving into secondary mode, with a seamless fusion of the black fruits, oak and tannins. There are highways and byways to explore, but you always come back to the point of departure. Along the way nuances of red fruits have joined in, and the spices previously locked away are now great contributors to the wine. Whereas the ’06 still needs time, this is open for business, and will likely be at its best over the next 9–10 years. Drink to 2025.”

  • 96p

Intense deep crimson with violet hues. Complex aromas of concentrated dark berry fruits and blackcurrant with nuances of oriental spices, mint and crushed herbs. The palate is plush and full of rich dark fruit and dried herb flavours, elegant layers of fine tannin and a long, complete and luscious finish.

Vintage 2005 was early, warm, quick, fantastic quality with good yields - and exhausting. Above average winter rains led into a beautiful spring, with some early November frosts but good flowering weather in late November and early December. Summer was wet and wild, with an amazing roller-coaster of weekly thunderstorms that helped maintain good subsoil moisture. Rains in January were followed by a dry February, and the dry weather continued right through the autumn. Warmer than usual autumnal weather caused an early, compact harvest of above average yields. The late Indian summer lasted into May, well after all the fruit was harvested, at maturity figures, flavour and colour not seen before the 2002 vintage. The quality of the 2005 vintage is sure to be ranked as one of the best on record, after 2002, with all varieties showing strongly. Once again the signature varieties of riesling and shiraz, from Eden Valley performed brilliantly.

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Information

Origin

South Australia, Eden Valley

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

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