Henschke has been making wine in the Eden Valley since 1868, when Johann Christian Henschke first planted vines on land he'd settled after immigrating from Silesia. Five generations on, the estate remains family-owned and is now in the hands of Stephen Henschke and his wife Prue, whose work in the vineyard has been just as important to the estate's standing.
The family's shift from fortified wines to fine dry table wines came under Cyril Henschke in the 1950s, and it was Cyril who first made Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone the reference points they remain today. Stephen, who took over in 1979, has built on that foundation with an emphasis on science and site, working closely with Prue to dry-farm old vine material in the cool, high-altitude conditions that define Eden Valley's best fruit.
That altitude is what separates these wines. Long, slow ripening holds acidity and builds complexity in a way that warmer Barossa floor fruit simply cannot match. The Shiraz has depth without weight, and Hill of Grace, made from vines planted in the 1860s, remains one of Australia's most significant single-vineyard wines.
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