Hill of Grace, Henschke 2015

Henschke says the '15 vintage provided stunning and elegant Eden Valley shiraz with extraordinary flavours, purity of fruit and acid balance. And indeed that's a fair description of this medium-bodied Hill of Grace. The colour is still bright, clear crimson-purple, and the beautifully balanced fruit flavours are vibrantly fresh. It would be easy to underestimate the likely longevity of this wine. One of the all-time greats.

There’s open-hearted generosity on the palate, although firm, fine tannins provide a sturdy frame – yes, it has big shoulders but no sign of a chubby midriff. And there’s also a luscious silky texture, with bright acidity and tannins ensuring sustained tension, without intruding on the extraordinary long flavours. Such precise balance shows the potential for excellent ageing.

I am somewhat late to the Hill of Grace fan club having tasted countless old vintages but only written this wine up twice in the sixteen years of my 100 Best Australian Wines Reports. The 2010 vintage gained a unique 19.9/20 score in my notes (you will have to read the tasting note in my Report to see why) and the 2012 vintage was the first perfect score 20/20 I have ever tasted from this famous vineyard. The 2015 vintage of this wine is unlike any HoG I have tasted before given that it is lusciously proportioned and unnervingly easy to appreciate in the glass at this young age. While it seems to rush at you from the glass and enthusiastically unfurl its magic carpet of exoticism and juiciness with little reservation, there is a dark core beneath the puppyish joy which will keep this wine on track for a good few decades to come. I noted, during the tasting, that this was a wine that ‘beginners’ could understand and if they happened to have 540 quid, could step up to and be able to appreciate just why this is such a revered wine. This is an unusual statement for a wine such as this, given that most five year old, titanically proportioned, densely fruited reds have the drawbridge up, portcullis down and boiling oil at the ready when palates approach. I happen to think that Australia’s unique red wine drawcard is the apparent precocity of its great labels and unlike other countries’ elite red wines, which often taste belligerent, uncommunicative and disappointing in their youth to inexperienced palates, Aussie icons often show pliant fruit and admirable generosity. 2015 Hill of Grace is such a wine, and it does take this open-armed approach further than I might have expected. I tasted this wine six times over four days (without the addition of inert gas to protect it) and it continued to set out its bountiful stall of fruit, spice, earth and leather, but at no stage did I ever encounter tannin in this extended tasting tour. Of course, the tannins are present, it is just that they have melted away into the folds in this wine. It would be tempting to overrate this release simply because there is so much boundless Shiraz ecstasy on the nose and palate, and this is indeed extraordinarily tasty, but I don’t think that, in the greater scheme of things and in the fullness of time, that this wine will eclipse the 2010 or 2012 in terms of control, restraint, elegance or detail. 2015 Hill of Grace is a sensational release from Henschke and it perfectly sums up the 2015 season – great rainfall in spring, mild summer with a little rain, long ripening and the pleasure of being able to pick each block, at will, without any pressure from the weather. As Stephen says, ‘it is a Goldilocks vintage’, but I think that perfect wines are borne of a degree of tension with a sprinkling of drama and so, I will keep my perfect 20 in my pocket this year. What is clear to me is that this is one of the most luxurious and glamorously upholstered Hill of Grace Shiraz I have tasted and for this reason, I would bet that everyone, expert and novice alike, will love it, and you cannot say that about many top-end red wines. 2025 – 2050

A significant vintage for Hill of Grace, as the last 2015 red to leave the Henschke cellar, and a wine that delivers on every ounce of its promise and then some. The nose is so complex and fragrant with trademark brown spices taking centre stage, amid light espresso, sage leaves, blackberries, cinnamon, anise, orange peel, ripe dark plums, pepper, gun smoke and a gentle, dried-rose edge. The palate has such impressive layers of fine tannin that make an instantly seamless, powerful and focused impression. It has architectural style with clean lines that build and ascend out of the finish. Long, spiced blackberries and dark plums are extruded in formation with such finesse and power. The acidity holds a torch to the rich, ripe plums and blackberries, illuminating freshness at the finish. A wine that will develop in a very consistent manner and likely to be at its best some 20 years from now. A collector’s dream.