Henschke’s 2019 Hill of Grace Shiraz is the estate’s flagship, sourced from the single Hill of Grace vineyard in Eden Valley, home to ungrafted, very old vines. The wine’s critical reception is consistently strong, led by an excellent 99-point review from Halliday Wine Companion. Reviewer Dave Brookes calls it “a beautifully detailed, layered wine,” noting “perfectly poised blackberry and dark berry fruits, five-spice, sage” and “the gentle tug of superfine, toothsome tannins,” carried by “lacy, mineral-laden acidity” to a “long, elegant” finish.
Several other top-tier reviews cluster at 97 points. Decanter (97) emphasizes structure as much as fruit, describing “brooding blackberry and blueberry,” “pronounced black tea notes,” and a “dense tannin fretwork” framing a “muscular wall of dark fruit,” with added lift from “orange blossom and rosewater” and savory spice including “pungent liquorice, sandalwood… cracked black pepper.” James Suckling (97) calls it “a superlative Hill of Grace,” “vinous and tautly composed,” built more for stamina than immediate impact; he suggests holding it—“Best after 2032”—and highlights “dried sage, menthol, cloves, lilacs and blue fruit.” Wine Enthusiast (97) similarly finds both early appeal and long life, citing “dusty, dried herbs and violets” and “ultrafine… ripe tannins,” calling it “approachable… now” yet capable of “two or three decades.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (97) adds useful vintage and production detail: fruit was “picked on a single day, on March 8,” at 14.5% alcohol, sealed under Vinolok, with the site’s silt contributing “anise and five spice aromas.” The palate is described as “super fragrant, elegant and fine,” finishing with tannins that “hold the fruit in a gentle way… It’s a triumph of a wine.”
Vinous (95) is slightly more reserved, praising “excellent shape and composure” and “al-dente tannins,” while calling 2019 “a strong but not superlative vintage.” Wine Spectator (96) reports “an impressive balance between power and elegance,” and notes rarity: “200 cases made.”
