Henschke Hill of Grace A Definitive Tasting

Henschke Hill of Grace : A Definitive Tasting


7pm Thursday 7th of May

Whisk Restaurant,

Mira Hotel

Nathan Road TST




I’m very proud to be able present a unique tasting of one of the world’s great Crus. The tasting is unique as the bottles aren’t a mishmash sourced off the secondary market at auction in Australia, and plagued with a likely questionable provenance. Proper cellaring is only a recent practice in Australia, more often than not, the red under the bed has been lauded as a sound place to cellar one’s prized bottles. The wines presented tonight have been mostly sourced from cellar door and professionally cellared since release, preserving the delicate and complex nuances of aged Hill of Grace.

Unique too, as recent media suggests, Hill of Grace is in a deliberate marketing tussle to be Australia’s most expensive wine at release. Hill of Grace has moved on from being an Aussie icon in the 80’s paving the way for old vine shiraz onto the world market, to a rarely consumed commodity in the 90’s touted as an investment class wine, to it’s current position as a luxury good individually wooden boxed as if a ceremonial heirloom. I was just offered the 2010 Hill of Grace from Henschke at $650 AUD! This is probably the last opportunity for the HKWS to present a HofG dinner with pricing sky rocketing and older vintages at auction often showing weeping corks and significant ullage.

Thank you to a very generous CK for sharing two bottles of 1980’s HofG to provide a snapshot of what Stephen Henschke describes as the Young Turk era, a transition from his father’s winemaking reign ( Cyril Henscke died tragically in 1978 ) and we get to share a few bottles from Barry Burton’s cellar- including the poetic 1990 Hill of Grace, widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest wines !

Tonight, I hope we capture the evocative Hill of Grace. The vineyard of Gnadenberg, with the Lutheran church made from field stone standing guard over 150 year old vines planted by Silesian refugees, in sunburnt surrounds in an area that must have been called “Eden Valley” by hopeful pioneers. The aromatics, the amalgam of red and blacks fruits, the unique five spice flavors and the deft usage of seasoned oak; and the length and overall class of this wine should all be on show.

As we move through the vertical, the 1980’s and the obvious class and longevity should be apparent. In to the nineties and the 1990 is Australia’s vintage of the century and was the springboard for the upswing in attention and interest in Australian wine; though few ever had the chance to drink the 1990 Hill of Grace and hopefully tonight, Barry’s bottle is singing. The 1992 Hill of Grace is exceptional, the 1993 a rare frost afflicted vintage and the 1994 is the Queens vintage! A wonderful wine deemed worthy of Queen Elizabeth on a recent tour though it’s now $800 price tag has me scratching my head. We have the 1995, a tough vintage, though its Mt Edelstone sibling probably wine of the vintage for mine. The 1996 should be amazing and then some problems start. Brett seems to be an issue affecting some prized Australian vintages including the 1998. Nobody knows what really happened in the late 90’s but lets judge the 1999! The 2002 and we are back on track, sublime Hill of Grace worthy now of its every increasing price tag?

Let’s do something unique. I traveled to the cellar door to get the rare Hill of Roses available only to long term customers. Prue Henschke has done a vigorous replanting of the best clonal stock at the Post Office Block. The old vines are dying and we get an amazing look at 2008 Hill of Roses ( 20 year vines Post Office Block ) versus 2008 Hill of Grace ( including the 1850’s Grandfather Block ) and having done this tasting before you get a look at young Hill of Grace wines versus the old; the differences distinct, the youthful energy of Hill of Roses versus the haunting old vine power of Hill of Grace.

Dinner wines will be the 2009 Hill of Grace and the 2008 Hill of Roses. A bottle of 1996 Henschke Mt Edelstone will be present too. To provide a quick look at the distinct differences for those who are interested.

Price: $2900HKD per head.

16 places maximum.

Reserve by mailing Jamie



Tasting:

1985 Hill of Grace

1988 Hill of Grace

1989 Hill of Grace

1990 Hill of Grace

1992 Hill of Grace

1993 Hill of Grace

1994 Hill of Grace

1995 Hill of Grace

1996 Hill of Grace

1999 Hill of Grace

2002 Hill of Grace

2008 Hill of Grace

2008 Hill of Roses



Dinner Wines:



HKWS Henschke Hill of Grace Tasting & Dinner
7th May 2015

Oyster Preles de Marennes, Elderflower, Tonic & Apple
Henschke Archer’s Vineyard Chardonnay

Sucking Pig Pickled Vegetables & Organic Herbs
Hill of Roses, 2008

Wagyu Beef Cheek Black Turnip & Gravy
Hill of Grace, 2009

Cheese Camembert, Comte, Danish Blue with Fruit Chutneys

Inclusive of gourmet coffee or fine tea

Wow! These are undoubtably some of the greatest wines on the planet. It was an amazing experience to share my cellar with friends at the Hong Kong Wine Society with contributing bottles from CK & the late Barry Burton. I was very proud as an Australian as to how superb the wines were and how vigorously they were hailed by the group. We had a Master of Wine and two members sitting their MW and most of the group have enviable cellars and have consistently over the years drank the great wines of the Old World. The wines tonight were staggering in quality, even the brett afflicted vintage and the two bottles that had braved CK’s Hong Kong lounge room cellar.

It’s upwards and onwards for Hill of Grace - in price and world wide demand.


Preparation:

I’m fastidious in how I prepare wines, especially wines of this caliber that have for the most been purchased at Cellar Door and stored for decades in professionally wine storage spaces. First step was to stand the wines up for a week in a wine fridge at 13 degrees. Henschke wines throw a heavy crust and don’t travel so well because of this. A number of times over the years I’ve sourced an old Mt Edelstone from the cellar and anything more than a short drive can see the crust shaken off the bottle and the sediment producing a texturally gritty mix instead of the silk throw mouth feel.

I live about 40 minutes from the action now in a beautiful country park by the beach. To counter the logistical problem of the wild taxi driver upsetting my bottles, I decided to decant all the wines first. Old wines 10 minutes max, gunk removed, bottle washed with treated water to remove crust and re-poured back in the bottle. From 92 onwards, 30 minutes air time with the exception of the weaker 93. The 94 got an hour but needed more and then the 02 onwards received an hour and the dinner wines were followed the same process but without the urgency - due youth and the fact they were to be re-decanted at the restaurant.

Standing tall !

Inverting the bottles to drain of any residual water. Prior to this the bottle heavily crusted, so much so that I needed maglite strength to see the sediment approaching the neck.

Work station !

The great storage fraud. They will bullshit you, those from withing the industry, about storage. But this here is proper storage. 20 year corks straight from cellar door to professional storage. It is a complete fraud what is going on and what is claimed especially from Europe.

A new wine magazine is doing a story on the dinner and sent a photographer to my place as they wanted to snap the un-opened bottles.

The Tasting:

I expected to lose a bottle or two to TCA. They were all fine and looked fantastic though I had a few worries with CK’s bottles. Cork was virtually a sodden sludge and the color was too developed.

Wines were served simply- oldest to youngest though the order only confirmed at the tasting and discussion’s end. Scoring was academic. This tasting was universally hailed as being one of the great ones! One seasoned member said none of his scores fell below 18. How do you rank such great wines?


1985 Henschke Hill of Grace- This was the late Barry Burton’s bottle whom we toasted. The cork was great and Barry was famous for running his wine fridge quite cold- 11 degrees was bandied about. Anyways, this was a magnificent wine, the aromas were a mix of spice box, Chesterfield leather and hay; underneath this was tobacco and smoked bacon ( dare I say Schultz bacon from nearby Angaston ). One commentator felt these later notes were the positive influence of brett but I don’t think so, I felt the meat/ bacon aromatics too complex and too different from those you’d find from brettanomyces.

The acidity is fresh and carries the wine magnificently on the palate in a velvety feel, loaded with supple flavors and a faint tannic grip.

95pts


5th for Me and 6th for the Group.

1988 Henschke Hill of Grace- I had grave fears for this bottle as its cork a sludge and the color browning a little too much when decanted. I am also a strong believer that Henschke is a critical producer to store wines properly to maximize the complex development traits of the wines- they aren’t the brooding fruit power of the Valley Floor, they have another dimension.

OK, so WOW! Sophisticated and alluring caramel/coffee nuances with some tertiary notes in a black fruit/ camp fire scent. On the palate there is a precision like balance with tertiary and secondary fruit nuances gently rolling about each other toward and ultra-fine tannin supported finish.

93pts

10th for Me and WOTN for the Group !




1989 Henschke Hill of Grace-

Many 89’s seem to have been built up by oak and this tends to work with old vine fruit- I’m thinking Stonewell, Basket Press MtEd and other stronger 89’s. Here, despite the wine being overly developed there is a tertiary fruit magic, mixing it up with the remnants of oak in a sophisticated and alluring caramel/coffee nuances. I honestly felt the wine would be buggered but hey, out comes red fruits and leather, the red fruits so reminding me of what was great about Aussie shiraz before we started seeing blue fruits in the late 90’s. Old vine richness in a fruitcake mix and olive tapenade in a delightful medium build with an echo of eucalyptus.

92pts ( well stored bottles would punch higher )

12th for Me and 7th for the Group.

**Henschke Hill of Grace 1990-**Deep scented, uber-complex and still evolving in the glass. Red fruits, gentle shades of black fruits and there’s a sweet developed note to the fruit. Once again I’m enchanted with the 1990’s overall poetry in harmony and balance- long finish with fine tannin & spice. Quite cerebral tonight and just a little lost in a tasting format- one to share with a friend.

96pts

4th for Me and 4th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 1992- Hah ! My Darwin bottle. Bought a case as young fellow and drank one. So found a cheap bottle soon after release in tropical Darwin and that the lack of an immaculate cork suggests this has been “up the track” in frontier talk.

This is a stunning wine which meets Stephen Henschke’s “exceptional” rating and anyone who knows Henschke wines can attest that this means go long! The wine makers ratings are pretty spot on and most critics notes I read now, just gush and fluff about the wines in flowery notes that say nothing.

This has a powerful red and black fruit mix; with darker blackberry, dark violet notes with licorice and spice wrestling to dominate. And then comes a fresh breeze through a herb garden with sublime scents of thyme, pepper, spice and garden herbs. Completes on the palate with an aromatic carry through with a solid palate weight that doesn’t have the finesse of the 90. Ultra-fine finish. A complete Hill of Grace- if in a more robust style.

95pts ( Glad my Darwin bottle held up well and in previous has punched higher but overall the wine is in the note portrayed above )

8th for Me and 3rd for the Group


Henschke Hill of Grace 1993- This was on release hard to get due yields being down due a severe frost. I have always enjoyed this HofG and it is lighter and less sturdy than most but possesses a Burgundian sophistication not all seem to see. Very complex aromas, red fruits, cassis and lightly stewed fruit notes combining toward sous-bois- quite piercing in its aromatic depth. Very delicate, light to medium bodied ( perhaps exaggerated in the company of the others ) which presents in a ethereal feel on the palate with an excellent length and flavor persistence.

96pts

3rd for Me and Last for the Group ( 6 voted it last which I think was a factor of its difference not its class ).

Henschke Hill of Grace 1994- This was served to Queen Elizabeth and received much hype. I noted it for sale a museum stock at the winery at an eye watering price. When decanted, I felt it needed more time. After the previous Burgundian experience, this was commented on being very Bordeaux. I don’t feel the oak had integrated as it should have and it dominated slightly giving a hard savory base to the wine. Silky texture and coiled up fruit in evidence. I really think this needs a few years or more air time. Will have another look soon.

93pts+

11th for me and 11th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 1995- The 95 Mt Edelstone was the wine of the difficult vintage. It’s just holding now. The 95 HofG still has some steam to develop and has eclipsed it’s sibling in the longevity stakes and probably just pipped it for sheer enjoyment and quality. Spiced red and black fruits, earth and menthol. Similar on a good palate length, lovely ripe and sweet fruit notes and tannins near resolved.

94pts

9th for Me and 8th for the Group.


Henschke Hill of Grace 1996- This is the greatest wine I’ve had for many years. It has everything: complexity, power, persistence and balance molding a complete wine close to perfection. Utterly amazing. I have all the classic Hill of Grace descriptors in this wine. A compelling experience.

99pts+

WOTN for Me 2nd for the Group ( 6 Firsts )


Henschke Hill of Grace 1999- OK so here goes the bretty example but it was hardly noticed by Old World drinkers. It did occasionally dominate but in the end, the fruit comes out on top and the brett adds a positive dimension. Classic flytox, spice box, meaty red & black fruits that are harder edged than the previous. It has the long length of many of the 99’s from the region with it’s structure linear and defined. At times dusty.

Incidentally, I had the 99 Mt Edelstone the week before and the brett issue is not as pronounced as has been suggested. The 1999 Mt Ed was in fine form, not dissimilar to the 1996 just a tad shorter. Comfortably in the early 90’s in points.

95pts +

6th for Me 5th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 2002- I decanted this wine and due the dark crust in the neck canceled the pour early. I was left with a big glass with a ham sandwich over lunch the afternoon before dinner ! With lunch I was overwhelmed by it’s perfect texture- silken and adding its perfect fruit weight and structure it’s probably 5 years away from being an amazing expression of the heights shiraz can achieve. It just started to open up for the tasting - textbook Henschke with red and black fruits, black pepper, mint chocolate, satsuma plum and bracken/ferns. Layered and lush palate, perfect delivery, perfect finish.

98pts+

2nd for Me 9th for the Group.

Henschke Hill of Grace 2008- Too young and HofG hits its straps just beyond 10 years when the youthful flesh settles. Good ripeness, not overdone, blackberries, blueberries, five spice and licorice. Oak spice and vanilla define the youthful French Oak. Very modern and clean, layered palate is still youthful with primary cherry kirsch and dark plum fruit. Long and marvelous. Needing time

96pts+

7th for Me and 10th for the Group.


Mesmerizing tasting.

Dinner Wines:

I didn’t want anyone to go thirsty tonight so I included some Mt Edesltone from 1996 to compare with Hill of Grace 1996. Also, the Hill of Roses 2008 versus the Hill of Grace 2008, an indulgent vinous comparison.


Henschke Hill of Roses 2008 - 3 bottles. I feel the young vines of Hill of Roses ( 20 years ) contrast perfectly with the old vines of the rest of the vineyard ( 100+ years ). There’s a nervous energy to Hill of Roses, an urgent vigor of all of what you see in Hill of Grace but without the haunting old vine depth of mysterious fruit. Meaty, plummy, fresh tar and spices, svelte but excitable palate texture, great length and depth. Easily a 20 year plus wine.

94pts+


Henschke Hill of Grace 2009- 2 bottles. Tough vintage but what consistency ! Red fruits ( plums etc ) & blackfruits ( blackberries, violets etc ) with tar and anise. Spices are beautiful- from the fruit or the oak? Hill of Grace is blessed with a natural fruit spice akin to Asian five spice or often its the deft seasoned oak handling. This has both. Not an expressive wine yet on the palate, but the fruit is there and it needs more time than most beleive. Long and fine grained tannins on the finish- as expected.

96pts+


Henschke Mt Edelstone 1996- 2 bottles. What a superb look at Mt Ed versus HofG. An exceptional and fully mature vintage which though blown out of the water by it’s near perfect 96 sibling, provides a good educated look at the differences. In contrasting to Hill of Grace it showed a wine of exceptional class and character, incredibly long but without the depth and muscle of the greatest HofG vintages. This does not detract from the wine. It’s world class and often looks better blind when compared to its famous stablemate.

At one sixth of the price of Hill of Grace, Mt Edelstone is worth buying every time you see Stephen Henschke award it an exceptional rating.

94pts

Terrific read, good on you. I have had a few different vintages back in the 90s when living in Fla as we had an Aussie wine enthusiast in town who became a mentor. Loved drinking these bottles but certainly did not contextually appreciate them properly.

Great photos too; I’m quite envious.

OMG So Jealous

Thanks for the great write up. I have only had Hill of Grace twice and it was wonderful. I really enjoy the late 1990s Australian Shirazes. Is this head and shoulders over the Grange?

HK$2900 is less than $400. A steal.

Good question Jay.

IMO, yes it is, it hits its straps at the 10 year + mark and delivers a beautiful expression of shiraz.

Grange takes longer to be in a window and though it can be a special wine Hill of Grace for me is always the special experience- I mean the lowly rated Australian vintages 93 & 95 were stunning wines in their own right.

The price is based on the premise that you don’t profit on your tastings which has made for some wonderful experiences with the wine society where folks charge what they paid or can reasonably replace at plus storage.

Nice lineup and thanks for the notes!

Where do you think the 96 HOG is in its aging/maturity curve? Obviously from your note it’s doing quite well now, but would it warrant additional cellaring?

Thanks,
Bruce

Thanks Jamie. That was a beautiful write up. If the Chinese had not targeted that wine so far, your write up most certainly drive them to do so!

Unfortunately, the price has escalated significantly in the past decade and I haven’t purchased any (apart from a couple of 2005). Not that I purchased many before that either, which looking back I should have. I just found more value in Mt Edelstone.

I still remember attending a tasting of HOG and Mt Edelstone hosted by Henschke in Sydney in 1995 where we tasted a vertical of both wines from 1980 to 1990.

Great notes ans narrative!

Thank so much; fascinating.

An amazing line up, notes and photos, thanks for posting Jamie.
I have 2 bottles of the 1990 HoG left, which I have had since it was released here. Will be opening 1 in August, as part of a 1990 horizontal. Does this wine need any time in the decanter or would it best be decanted off its sediment and poured?

G’day Wayne

Yes, the wine must be decanted as the sludge from the sediment is thick and when shaken up detracts from the wine’s texture and flavor profile.

Aeration? The 1990 is a hallmark vintage of HofG and the best bottles show the red & black fruits as well as lesser gradations of herbs and vegetation. This is all captured in a structurally harmonious and sophisticated manner when combined with the fruit is the magic of the vintage. Getting the fruit out now is important and I think may need 30 minutes or so in a decanter prior to re-pouring back in the bottle. Scalped or poorly stored 1990’s will still show a wonderful harmony but the let down is if the fruit doesn’t come out and play.



I must add some don’t mind taking a swipe at the latter mentioned nuances ( mint and faint eucalyptus ) though I’ve often found similar in the great wines of Burgundy & Piedmont . Bit of Old World snobbery I think.

Two bottles ! Great ! Keep one for yourself to share with a good friend. I really hope you get a couple of great bottles.

Targeting to fake no doubt….

One of the grey marketeers I know moved 200 bottles of 98 HofG ( good luck with brett 50-50 I reckon ) into China from HKG. Who drinks it I asked? Was to be used as gifts for Australians in the mining game and government officials in the mainland. China is a market I just don’t get. There must be a demand there but I just don’t see it and I spend a week there per month.

As one of the group fortunate enough to attend that great tasting I can endorse everything Jamie has said - these wines were all in impeccable condition and showed beautifully. My personal vote was for on “old world” idea of a shiraz - the 1988: smoky, moving to coffee and leather notes as it evolved in the glass. But all were the wines were superb and homogeneous in profile - just a gradual evolution over the 23 years from young and tight to mature and ethereal. Chapeau, Jamie!

Wow, great tasting and great notes. Sounds like it was well worth the huge effort that you undertook. At least in the US, HoG seems to be a rarity seldom seen at tastings or perhaps I just don’t know collectors of it. I have tried a few over time but clearly not enough. Grange seems to be more prevalent here - even in tastings of rarities, just never shows up. I have only owned one bottle which I still have (gift from my wife years ago) and based on your notes, I am lucky in that it is the 1996. I am thinking about holding it for a while longer…

Hi Dan

Yes, I went to some effort in preparing the wines but as a long time Henschke drinker I had a good idea what was required to present them at their best. Granted luck with zero cork taint out of a dozen bottles : the rest screwcap & vino lok !

Hill of Grace hits its straps at 10 years + but a lot gets consumed earlier. Now, with the closure being vino lok, that time frame to a drinking window would seem even more important. Another very important factor is storage- the finer aromatic and flavor nuances and vibrancy/ energy in the best bottles of Henschke Mt Edelstone & Hill of Grace seem vulnerable to poor storage ( which seems a little too common in Australia ).

Your 1996 will hold and I hope it drinks as magnificently as mine on the night of the tasting.

Nice write up.

I also like the Eames surfboard coffee table.

Maybe its storage, but I went through a period a year or two ago where I got a few seemingly well-stored Mt. Edelstones on the secondary market for very reasonable prices (where they remain - $50-100). Unfortunately each (including a 1995 and 1996, both of which are reputedly excellent) were brett-afflicted, at least to my reasonably brett-sensitive palate; my suspicion (given the references to brett or “meaty” descriptors in connection with the above, immaculately stored bottles) is that a certain degree of brett tolerance is necessary to appreciate these wines.

Brett issues are argued to be 1997-2000. Something certainly happened with 1998 and storage and some bottles can be pristine whilst others, well, I returned all mine to the winery and was graciously exchanged for a current vintage.

The one questionable brett vintage in my line up being the 1999 Hill of Grace and I must say, it’s brett levels were not detracting to the group and it presented beautifully though there was a wrestle.
Some Australian commentators regard 1996 Henschke as being DMS afflicted though I don’t see the issue.

Personally, I don’t think your vintages ( 95 & 96 ) have a brett problem. Though with poor storage who knows if light levels of brett bloom toward the intolerable levels? I have harped on that these wines need good storage to realize their potential and I never buy them from the secondary market in Australia.