2007 Hill of Grace

Eden Valley

Shiraz

Medium garnet with bright ruby hues. Exotic aromas of five spice, cinnamon and clove reveal forest fruits, plum and boysenberry. A rich and generous palate of mulberry and blueberry compote is framed by savoury spice, cocoa, crushed flowering herbs and leather, with balanced acidity and fine-grained tannins delivering a powerful, elegant wine of incredible length.

$1,550.00
$1,550.00
Medium garnet with bright ruby hues. Exotic aromas of five spice, cinnamon and clove reveal forest fruits, plum and b...

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BACKGROUND

Over 180 years ago, Johann Christian Henschke came from Silesia to settle and build his farm in the Eden Valley region. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the now famed Hill of Grace vines were more than 50 years old. The original vines, known as the ‘Grandfathers’, were planted around 1860 by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the Henschke family winery. The red-brown earth grading to deep silty loam has excellent moisture-holding capacity for these low-yielding vines, that sit at an altitude of 400m, with an average rainfall of 520mm. Hill of Grace is a unique, delineated, historic single vineyard that lies opposite a beautiful old Lutheran church, which is named after a region in Silesia known as Gnadenberg, translating to ‘Hill of Grace’. Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. The original Ancestors (vines over 125 years) are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of the Hill of Grace wine, along with a small selection of Centenarians (vines over 100 years), Survivors (vines over 70 years), and Old Vines (vines over 35 years), all planted on their own roots.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 16 March - 4 April

Alcohol: 14%

Vintage Rating: Great vintage

Maturation: Matured in 100% new French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. Bottle aged in the Henschke cellar for museum release.

Drinking Window: Drink now to 2050+

VINTAGE

The 2007 vintage shaped up to be another high-quality year but with significantly reduced yields in Eden Valley. Despite an early winter break, rainfall during winter and spring was among the lowest on record in the lead-up to flowering. There was significant spring frost damage in Eden Valley, with yield losses of 20–25%, compounded by drought and a lack of subsoil moisture, resulting in overall losses of up to 50%. Brief heatwaves occurred during January; otherwise, conditions were mild and dry. At the end of January, a tropical air mass combined with a cold front to bring good rains to agricultural areas of South Australia, with flooding further north. The 70 mm rainfall fell steadily over four days, coinciding with veraison, which freshened the vine canopy and assisted ripening. February was the hottest in 100 years, bringing the already reduced crop to an earlier ripening phase.

TASTING NOTES

Over 180 years ago, Johann Christian Henschke came from Silesia to settle and build his farm in the Eden Valley region. By the time third-generation Paul Alfred Henschke took over the reins in 1914, the now famed Hill of Grace vines were more than 50 years old. The original vines, known as the ‘Grandfathers’, were planted around 1860 by an ancestor, Nicolaus Stanitzki, in rich alluvial soil in a shallow fertile valley just north-west of the Henschke family winery. The red-brown earth grading to deep silty loam has excellent moisture-holding capacity for these low-yielding vines, that sit at an altitude of 400m, with an average rainfall of 520mm. Hill of Grace is a unique, delineated, historic single vineyard that lies opposite a beautiful old Lutheran church, which is named after a region in Silesia known as Gnadenberg, translating to ‘Hill of Grace’. Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard shiraz wine from this vineyard in 1958 from handpicked grapes vinified in traditional open-top fermenters. The original Ancestors (vines over 125 years) are now approximately 160 years old and remain the heart of the Hill of Grace wine, along with a small selection of Centenarians (vines over 100 years), Survivors (vines over 70 years), and Old Vines (vines over 35 years), all planted on their own roots.

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 16 March - 4 April

Alcohol: 14%

Vintage Rating: Great vintage

Maturation: Matured in 100% new French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. Bottle aged in the Henschke cellar for museum release.

Drinking Window: Drink now to 2050+

The 2007 vintage shaped up to be another high-quality year but with significantly reduced yields in Eden Valley. Despite an early winter break, rainfall during winter and spring was among the lowest on record in the lead-up to flowering. There was significant spring frost damage in Eden Valley, with yield losses of 20–25%, compounded by drought and a lack of subsoil moisture, resulting in overall losses of up to 50%. Brief heatwaves occurred during January; otherwise, conditions were mild and dry. At the end of January, a tropical air mass combined with a cold front to bring good rains to agricultural areas of South Australia, with flooding further north. The 70 mm rainfall fell steadily over four days, coinciding with veraison, which freshened the vine canopy and assisted ripening. February was the hottest in 100 years, bringing the already reduced crop to an earlier ripening phase.