Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz 2017

Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, an elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site, and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Chinese five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wildflowers, and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture is 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.

2017 Hill of Grace is inky black, and the nose is loaded with exotic spices, violets, and chypre. This is a masculine, power-packed wine with amazing amplitude and depth of flavour, but it is in no way heavy or ponderous. There is a ‘cool vintage’ feel throughout, and this means that each indulgent black-cherry-soaked sip is countered by revitalizing grip and freshness, which is extremely enjoyable. Like a black panther waiting to pounce, this is a youthful, vigorous Hill of Grace, and while this is not a showy, sweet-fruited, juicy vintage, it is definitely a wine that will appeal to true connoisseurs of this estate because we all know that the leaner, more athletic wines will make old bones with ease! 2017 Hill of Grace is akin to a full orchestra performing an intricate piece that requires a perfect command of each and every instrument. It is the antithesis of a greatest-hits, opera-light track packed with crowd-pleasing crashing and bashing, and this is why I really admire just how elegant this wine is in 2017.