I would like to go back again to the Barossa Valley, unfortunately not physically but just for this post. It was the wine region I was looking forward the most to visit because of their amazing wines and wineries.
I have visited one of the most iconic and first winery of the region, the Henschke Family Wines . This is a 151 years old winery, started by Johann Christian Henschke who purchased the first land in 1862. First, like everyone at the time, was producing fortified wines and in 1891 his son bought a land which is called the Hill of Grace vineyard. They changed from fortified production to table wines only in the ’50s.
The single vineyard wine that they still make of the Hill of Grace is their best known wine, probably they are the first from the region who started to focus on vineyard selection and these are the places where the plantings as old as the 1860s.
The Hill of Grace wine is made with 155 years old vine Shiraz on its own rootstock with biodynamic treatment and without irrigation. That makes this wine so special and concentrated in flavours and aromas. Unfortunately when I was there I couldn’t taste it, because in the cellar door they don’t have it open. If I would go for the VIP tour and tasting, I could, but I was already booked at Penfolds at the same time. What a shame!
But still I had the chance to sip some of their other really good wines, whites and reds as well.
As a white I think the most popular is the Croft, a hundred percent Chardonnay with a lot of complexity, citrus fruits, silky oak texture, good acidity and a long finish. I have tasted this wine before, during my time in London, but every time I am amazed by Croft. One of my favourite New World Chardonnay definitely.
As a red wine, my favourite was the Bordeux blend from the Eden Valley with a blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon complemented with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It was a fruit bomb with cassis, plums and black cherries and thanks to a bit of an age on the wine (2013), a nicely integrated tannins and spices but still really fresh, capable of aging for another 10 years easily.
The Cellar Door just has been renovated so everything was beautiful and modern and the staff was really nice as well. The lady who drove me trought the wines and tasting was very kind and knowledgeable, they had some maps of the vineyard so you could place the grapes what you were tasting exactly.
I really hope that one day I can go back and do the proper tour of the vineyards and have a sip of the Hill of Grace. It is still on the Bucketlist.
Have you been there before? How do you like their wines?
Have you tasted Hill of Grace already? What is your opinion?
