Hill of Grace 2013, Henschke

Hill of Grace on Austraalia kuulsaim viinamarjaistandus. Selle viinapuud istutas 1860. aastal Nicolaus Stanitzki ja 1891. aastal omandas selle Paul Gotthard Henschke. Henschen Hill of Grace´i esimene kaubanduslik aastakäik oli 1958. Viinamarjaistandus asub 400 meetri kõrgusel Barossa oru idaküljel Eden Valley piirkonnas. Viinamarjaistanduse Shirazi viinapuud on üle 150 aasta vanad ja kasvavad liivases savipinnases. Nimi Hill of Grace on tõlge saksakeelsest Gnadenbergist (armumägi) ja põhineb suguvõsa juurtel Sileesias, tänapäeval Poola lõunaosas. Wine-Searcher hinnad EL-is: 560-680 €

97/100p Wine Advocate: Another terrific HoG, the 2013 Hill of Grace Shiraz is dense and rich, thickly concentrated and full-bodied yet not heavy or bulky in the slightest. It´s kept lively through a fine dusting of savory spices—allspice, clove, star anise—and juicy, mouthwatering acids, which support the blackberry and plum fruit. The finish, framed by softly dusty and supple tannins, suggests a wine capable of at least two decades of positive evolution.

97/100p James Suckling: A dry season with reduced yields, but all the DNA is here with a rich array of baking spices permeating ripe blackberries, red berries and plums. Chocolate, plum cake, currants, freshly turned and loamy earth and dried sage leaves, too. Very complex. The palate´s smoothly arranged around the fine, long tannins that carry a concentrated core of blackberries, tarry, dark stony flavors, ripe blood plums and a long trail of deeply spicy warmth through the finish. Hints of mocha and expresso to close. Elegant, complex and complete. This is very approachable now. Typically though, it´s a wine that is best drunk at 20 or more years from vintage.