98 Points Robert Parker
The 2021 Hill of Grace Shiraz comes from a vineyard that sits at 400 meters above sea level—a beautiful, remote-feeling place. The vineyard is picked block by block, defined by vine age, soil types, elevation and position within the vineyard. The older vines within the vineyard tend to hold their acidity and retain lower pH with higher natural acidity than the younger vines, which also assists in determining the parcels. "Ironically, this is the simplest wine to make; it's the vineyard that produces the wine like this. It's due to the work in the vineyard over many generations," says Stephen Henschke. So, to the wine. It is pure and fine, with a languid pool of fruit that is characterized by black silty tannins and persistent, seamless length. This speaks of the ancient place, the rocks, the vines. This is just a magnificent, graceful wine here, one that is "immune to hyperbole," as they say. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. The Wheelwright vineyard has 50-year-old vines, Mount Edelstone is over 100 years old, and the ancestor vines in the Hill of Grace vineyard are aver 150 years old.
Published: Mar 28, 2025 Drink 2025 - 2051.
Source: Robert Parker.
99 Points Misc
How long will the 2021 Hill of Grace age for? How long is a piece of string? An exceptional year like 2021 is almost a law unto itself, one where anything is possible age-wise given both the complexity of the wine and its already seamless presence in the glass. It makes quite an impact from the first sniff. Where to start? Oozes class in super fine, intense dark plums, blackberry, liquorice, vanilla, sweet tobacco, woodsmoke, briar and florals that shine in violet and deep florals. The palate has a deep richness, not boldness but in the kind of concentration shown, and it is unctuous and totally charming. American oak (16%) is part of the oak regime together with French oak (84% new) with a total of 13% new hogsheads. This is the usual oak treatment and it works well in both elevating the fruit and providing the kind of strong, fine tannins required for the long journey ahead. And, rest assured, there is a long journey to come. Drink 2025 - 2050.
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