Henschke Hill of Grace Single Vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz 2021
- 99
- $1000
- Drink by: 2025-2050
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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.
Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
