#100 in Top 100 Wines of the World, 2022. A rather refined Hill of Grace with roasted meat, smoked meat, and juicy plums. Some mushroom and forest-flower character, too. It’s medium- to full-bodied, juicy and savory. Light white pepper at the end. Underlying finesse and elegance to this. The flavor does not go away. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Muscular with great vitality and sensuality, Hill of Grace 2017 combines gravitas with grace. Supple swathes of fruit – blackberry with blueberry and red cherry – come scented with china ink, tinder bush, black pepper, star anise, wattleseed, tea leaf and baking spices. Tobacco pouch, mulch and subtle game undertones strike a savoury note. Rafts of seamless, spicy tannins build and buoy layers of flavour. Terrific authority, strength, complexity and length.
Australia's finest single-vineyard site? I think so. With its core of gnarled shiraz vines planted circa 1860 and its picture-perfect location alongside the Gnadenberg church, it is a much adored and discussed vineyard which has been producing stellar wines since the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace was released in 1958. Today, those original vines are bolstered with its 'young' 100+ and 35+yo kinfolk and aged in 83/17% French/American oak hogsheads (29% new) for 18 months. Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Asian five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wild flowers and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit and a very long, silken finish that resonates with style and place. My goodness it's lovely.
While complex and intricate, this also has immediate charm and drink ability, with a supple frame that firms up softly on the finish. Boasts basil, kirsch, marzipan, Kalamata olive, white truffle and notes of framboise that mingle together effortlessly, but it's the finish where the wine really gains momentum, with wave after wave of details, including bittersweet chocolate, cumin, dried ginger and chocolate covered maraschino cherry. Shiraz. Drink now.
Australia’s most famous single-vineyard wine delivers, once again, a unique expression of place and people. The deep well of aromas includes tomato stem, blackberry and blueberry compote, a sprinkling of cumin, sage and a sumac tang, all framed in mocha oak that is gently supportive. The palate shows plushness and power, but also restraint and poise. Tannins are ultra fine and uniquely textured. They’re savory and earthy, beautifully juxtaposing the tangy acidity and never squashing the plump, silken fruit. This could be drunk now, with a decanter and plate of protein at hand, but it’s structured for the long haul, and could age another 15–20 years, easily. (Cellar Selection)
The 2017 Hill of Grace Shiraz offers notes of blueberry skin, crushed granite, essene of cassis, blackcurrant pastille, black tea, hung deli meat, white truffle and mushroom. It is inky, intense, black and dark, with seemingly endless length. The palate is initially sweet, with a real "bottom of the pot" jasmine tea bitterness to the tannins, however, this remains ajunct to the nose, which is decidedly savory. What is clear, is that the old vines shine through the conditions of the vintage; they shine through the hand of Stephen, and they show a density and solidity of texture that young vines achieve through so few hands. This wine was perhaps a touch meatier (not chunky, literally referring to meat/pastrami/deli meats) and more savory than expected. However, it remains a thundering display of line, length and complexity.
Winery Notes
Dark crimson in color, with deep garnet hues. A concentrated array of aromas of mulberry, blackberry and dark plum indicate the richness to come, while savory and complex notes of charcuterie, cedar, sage and five spice tease the senses. Plush and velvety on the palate, the wine has intense fruit concentration with plum, red currant, blackberry and anise flavors, yet an enchantingly elegant and refined structure. Layers of silky tannins reveal the impressive depth of the wine before giving way to an incredibly long finish.
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