1999 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz 750ml Original Wooden Box

Discover 1999 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz Original Wooden Box (750ml)

Vintage Description

The latter part of spring led into one of the hottest summers on record, with virtually no rain. The drought conditions resulted in smaller berry size, producing spicy, dark intense reds. Tropical cyclones Elaine and Vance brought unseasonal rains in mid-March, causing widespread botrytis problems requiring careful handpicking. 1999 proved to be another challenging vintage for Eden Valley although the final quality results made it worthwhile.

Wine Description

Dark crimson with violet hues. Delicate aromas of exotic spices, mature ripe fruits, molasses, bacon and roast meat nuances. The palate is richly fruited, concentrated and layered with fine-grained chewy tannins, elegant structure and a long, delicious finish.

Critic tasting note: (1999 vintage) "Excellent vintage. One of the darker coloured vintages, this has deep tarry notes to start with, dark nutty savoury elements, plenty of spice and sweet oak in the mix too, a very young and convincing wine. The palate delivers plenty of fruit flavour and depth, lovely resolved tannins that take a very muscular shape, showing elegance with power, a hallmark of Hill of Grace, fragrant finish, lip-smacking and energetic. Still very young. Drink in 2024." - James Suckling

Drinking Window: 2010-2035 

Background

Over 165 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 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. The red-brown earth grading to deep silty loam has excellent moisture-holding capacity for these dry-grown vines, which 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 picturesque region in Silesia called Gnadenberg, meaning 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.