There’s a lot of talk these days among the wine cognoscenti about the waning significance of the distinctions “Old World” and “New World” when it comes to describing wine. Blind tastings among experts (most recently one held at the London Wine Fair) make it clear that even the most knowledgeable palates can’t reliably identify into which of the two categories any given wine falls, and that neither category is clearly ahead on quality.
The wines aside, one distinction that can often be made between producers in these two categories has to do with their history. Multi-generational family legacies of wine production are quite common in Europe, but much less common in the Americas, for instance, thanks in part to the damaging interruption of Prohibition. But they are not unheard of.
In Australia, too, you can find unbroken histories of family winemaking stretching back 5 or more generations.
“We’re lucky to have this tradition and lucky to have been able to sustain it for 150 years,” said Johann Henschke on a recent visit to San Francisco to celebrate the release of his family’s 150th vintage of wines, in the form of their iconic Shiraz, the Hill of Grace.
“I definitely wouldn’t be standing here today if my ancestor had decided to get on a boat going somewhere different,” said Henschke.
Johann Christian Henschke was one of the many Silesian immigrants who fled religious persecution in Europe, eventually arriving in Australia in 1841.
“They left in the dark of the night, joining a community to follow a pastor who told them that they should go to South Australia,’ said the young Henschke. ‘They’d never have seen it. They would have no idea what it would be like to live there. It would have been like going to the moon.”
Henschke’s ancestor eventually settled in the township of Bethany in the Barossa Valley, and saved up enough money to purchase property for his son in the nearby Eden Valley, where the Henschke family has made their home ever since. In 1860, the family built a small stone winery which they used to make small quantities of wine for their own consumption, but in 1868 they made and bottled their first commercial wines under the family name.
Like most wines being produced in Australia at the time, the wines were sweet and/or fortified. That’s what much of the world wanted to drink. But by the 1950s, interest in dry table wine had risen, and so with the then nearly 50-year-old Shiraz vineyard they owned, Cyril Henschke made a dry wine in 1952. Six years later, he made a Shiraz from a vineyard named Gnadenberg, which means Hill of Grace.
Cyril Henschke would become one of the pioneers of dry red wine in the Barossa region of Australia, and his Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace wines from Eden Valley have become global benchmarks both for Australian Shiraz specifically, and for fine wine made with ancient vines generally.
The family winemaking tradition has been carried on by Cyril’s son Stephen and his wife Prue, and is now in the hands of his son Johann, the sixth unbroken generation that miraculously still cultivated some of the same (now ancient) vines as each of the previous five generations.
Winemaking at Henschke has long been a collaboration between Prue Henschke’s work in the vineyards and Stephen Henschke’s work in the cellar. Organically certified vineyards, many of which are own-rooted, are managed with a combination of organic and biodynamic methods, including the liberal use of straw mulch to preserve soil moisture and mitigate the heat of summer.
In the cellar, wines ferment using the submerged cap technique in open-top fermenters and concrete vats with ambient yeasts, occasional pump-overs, low sulfur use, infrequent racking, rare fining, and very gentle filtering. The Henschke’s used their last cork in 2004, and after a number of years under screwcap, they have recently moved to the Vinolok glass stoppers for their top wines.
The Henschke wines have, over time, become acknowledged as belonging to the world’s uppermost echelon of quality, with ample justification. They are made with a care, both in the vineyard, and the winery, that is nothing short of exceptional. The price of the wines now reflects that quality, the reputation it has engendered, and the small quantities that are available for a thirsty wine world, especially those wines featuring the 112-year-old Mount Edelstone vineyard and the 164-year-old Hill of Grace vineyard.
There’s not much to be said other than if you have the opportunity to taste or own these wines, you should make the most of it. And while the prices of the single-vineyard wines have put them out of reach for most people, the family remains admirably committed to making some more affordable bottlings, which are also excellent.
Here are the wines that Johann kindly shared with a small group in San Francisco when he came to visit earlier this year to celebrate the 60th vintage of the Hill of Grace, and the 150th commercial vintage by the Henschke Family.
Tasting Notes
2022 Henschke Family Wines “Peggy’s Hill” Riesling, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Palest gold in the glass, nearly colorless, this wine smells of mandarin pith and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, mandarin oil, crushed stones, and lime leaf flavors are crisp and bright with a lean chalky texture. Excellent acidity. Made from purchased fruit from various neighbors. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $33. click to buy.
2023 Henschke Family Wines “Julius” Riesling, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Palest greenish gold in the glass, nearly colorless, this wine smells of pink grapefruit pith and Persian lime. In the mouth, lean citrus pith, dried honey, lime leaf, and wet chalkboard minerality is crackling with fantastic acidity. Pithy, crisp, and bright but leans towards the austere. 2 hectares of 1968 – 1980 planted Riesling vines. 12% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $55. click to buy.
2021 Henschke Family Wines “Henry’s Seven” Red Blend, Barossa Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of camphor wood, blackberry, baking spices, dusty roads and herbs. In the mouth, blackberry and black cherry flavors mix with dried herbs, road dust, and aromatic herbs like lavender and thyme. A blend of 77% Shiraz, 11% Grenache 10% Mataro. And 2% Viognier 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $48. click to buy.
2020 Henschke Family Wines “Johann’s Garden” Red Blend, Barossa Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of red fruits, strawberry, minty eucalyptus, and dusty earth. In the mouth, bright strawberry and earth flavors mix with dried herbs, faintly grippy tannins. Excellent acidity. Minty notes linger in the finish. A blend of 80% Grenache, and 20% Mataro. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $70. click to buy.
2018 Henschke Family Wines “The Wheelwright” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dusty roads, black olive, cocoa powder, and black cherry. In the mouth, juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors mix with dried herbs, black olives, and citrus peel. There’s a faint salinity to this wine that combined with the acidity to make for a mouthwatering combination. Aged in 21% new oak, a blend of 65% French and 35% American, for 18 months before bottling. 2ha of vines planted in 1968 by Cyril Henschke. North facing slope – Block 6 and Block 8 is the formal name. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $164. click to buy.
2017 Henschke Family Wines “Mount Edelstone” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black olive and black cherry, dusty earth and dried herbs. In the mouth, faintly saline flavors of black olive, black cherry, earth, and aromatic herbs are wrapped in velvety tannins. Excellent acidity. Road dust and dried herbs linger in the finish. Aged in 26% new oak (86% French, 14% American) for 18 months. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $224. click to buy.
2018 Henschke Family Wines “Mount Edelstone” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry, black cherry, flowers, and dried herbs. In the mouth, incredibly juicy blackberry and black cherry flavors have a wonderful billowy, supple tannic texture and fantastic acidity with flavors of road dust and aromatic dried herbs that linger through a very long finish. Powerful but effortless. Matured in 27% new oak (77.% French, 23% American) for 20 months. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $210. click to buy.
2017 Henschke Family Wines “Hill of Grace” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sunbaked earth, dried herbs, and dark fruits and spices. In the mouth, faintly saline black olive, blackberry, and black cherry fruit is wrapped in a gauzy haze of tannins that stiffens slightly over time. There’s a hint of citrus peel and camphor wood lingering in the finish with excellent, mouthwatering acidity, and a freshness that comes from a cool, challenging vintage in which not everything ripened. Late harvest. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $848. click to buy.
2018 Henschke Family Wines “Hill of Grace” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black olives, blackberries, sunbaked earth, dates and dried herbs with a wonderful resinous chaparral quality. In the mouth, black olive, blackberry, juicy acidity and billowy velvety tannins that stiffen ever so slightly over time. Wonderfully minty notes linger in the finish along with fantastically juicy acidity that leans towards citrus peel. Hints of dusty road and that chaparral quality. Aged in 20% new oak (83% French, 17% American). 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $883. click to buy.
2004 Henschke Family Wines “Hill of Grace” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Very dark garnet in the glass, with hints of ruby on the rim, this wine smells of forest floor, dried herbs, dried berries, and dried citrus peel. In the mouth, fantastically juicy flavors of dried berries, baking spices, citrus peel, and forest floor have a riveting balance between herbal perfume, fruit, and dried flowers that have a faintly salty note. An utterly stunning wine from an exceptional vintage. Aged in a combination of French and American oak, a mix of new and old, for 18 months before bottling. 14% alcohol. Score: between 9.5 and 10. Cost: $901. click to buy.
1986 Henschke Family Wines “Hill of Grace” Shiraz, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Dark ruby in the glass, with hints of coffee at the rim, this wine smells of smoked meats, dried cherries, citrus peel, and baking spices. In the mouth, powdery tannins provide a textured backdrop to notes of coffee cake, spices, herbs, and dried citrus, dried herbs, and still a hint of freshness with excellent acidity. Notes of chaparral linger in the finish with hints of earth. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $654. click to buy.
Images courtesy of Henschke.
