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Wine Description
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
Vintage 2018
AUSTRALIA: Very promising quality with the most optimistic reviewers declaring 2018 great in every region and for every variety. The more cautious view is that early frosts reduced yields, but that consistent good weather throughout the second half of the growing season actually resulted in great potential.
Barossa 2018 vintage to savor
The 2018 Barossa vintage was completed at the end of April 2018, with growers and winemakers satisfied with a high quality vintage and good yields.
“The flavors and colors of the reds are wonderful, and the natural acids in the Eden Valley whites surprisingly high, with early varieties this year including Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet,” said Louisa Rose, head of winemaking at Yalumba.
The growing season is off to a good start, with winter 2017 precipitation about 10% above average. However, spring rainfall was only 78% of average in the Barossa Valley (BV) and 98% in the Eden Valley (EV), and December rainfall was only 57%. % of average in BV (88% in EV).
Drier soils, combined with warmer than average days in October and November (October 2ºC above average in VB (1.8ºC in EV) and November 1.1ºC above average in BV (1.6 ºC in EV), allowed the vine canopies to grow quickly, to flower well and to form a good number of clusters.
January and February were hot and dry, with very hot temperatures in February slowing the rate of ripening. January was slightly above average (1.4°C during the day but closer to average at night) and February was about average during the day, but with nighttime temperatures significantly warmer than average. average in the Barossa Valley (5.8°C warmer).
With summer rainfall at 50% of average, growers with access to water, soil moisture monitoring, good irrigation management and healthy soils experienced less stress – and subsequently delivered healthy fruit and consistent yields.
The Indian summer of March and early April was “the icing on the cake”, with average temperatures, without extremes, perfect for ending the vintage. The 28-30mm of rain on April 14-15 did not cause any major problems for picking – and was a welcome post-harvest watering for most Barossa growers.
Overall, in 2018, Barossa Valley crushed 56,970 tonnes*, down 22% from the 2017 vintage, but 9% from the five-year average. In 2018, Eden Valley crushed 11,593 tonnes*, down 3% compared to 2017.
The total Barossa crush of 68,563 tonnes* represented 9% of the total volume and 25% of the total crush value in South Australia.
Average prices for Barossa Valley varieties remained stable in 2018, with Shiraz at $2252 per tonne, down 1% from last year. At Eden Valley, the average price of Shiraz increased by 11% to $2636 per tonne and Cabernet Sauvignon increased by 15% to $2354.
*Wine Australia estimates the response rate for wine grape crush in South Africa to be 85%, so the actual total Barossa crush is estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 tonnes.