1976 Henschke Hill Of Grace Shiraz 750ml

Hill of Grace is surely one of the most evocative phrases in the world of wine. It is a translation from the German ‘Gnadenberg’, a region in Silesia, and the name given to the lovely Lutheran church that overlooks the vineyard. The 4ha single-vineyard shiraz planting is situated at the historic village of Parrot Hill 4km north-west of Henschke Cellars. Background Over 100 years ago Johann Christian Henschke came from Silesia to settle and farm in the Eden Valley region. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the famous Hill of Grace shiraz vines were more than 50 years old. They 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. Hill of Grace is a unique delineated single historic vineyard. The vineyard lies opposite a beautiful old Lutheran Church, built of local field stone, which was euphoniously named Gnadenberg, meaning Hill of Grace. Cyril Henschke, the fourth generation, made the first single-vineyard wine from these vines in 1958. The original vines are now over 100 years old. The handpicked grapes are vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. Vintage Description Good winter rains followed by a mild spring and cool summer preceded a dry vintage. The conditions were ideal for harvesting, broken only by light rains in mid-April followed by cool misty mornings. Wine Description Deep ruby crimson in colour. Sweet slightly oyster/gamy, spicy and exotic, with plum, anise, chocolate, leather and five-spice. A rich and complex palate with intense, fleshy, silky mature tannins, good acid balance and a very long rich finish.