Henschke Hill of Grace 1998

Jancis Robinson: Dark crimson. Healthy looking. Minty note for the first time. Very direct nose. Opulent fruit. Rich. Exotic ladies’-handbags notes. Broad and attention grabbing. Mellow start but then the framework becomes quite obvious. Ambitious. Sore-throat wine. 19/20

Wine Enthusiast: “Hill of Grace has a smell that reminds me of my grandmother's handbag—cloth, with a wooden handle,” says Stephen Henschke. Strange but understandable. I thought it smelled like an odd but nice mix of green olive, eucalyptus and eggroll wrapper. It's a beautiful wine, with a base of red plums on the palate, dusted with mulling spices. Finishes with a flourish of clay and chalk. As excellent as this wine is, the '99 is even better. 94/100

James Suckling: Exceptional vintage. The sage is right to the fore here with a slight meaty edge too, some iodine, some very savoury herbal notes too, meaty and savoury, lighter red fruits. The palate has fine, lithe and rich tannins that collect fruit flavour and drive through the finish with plenty of spice, red and dark fruit flavours, great depth and richness. Slightly chunky finish. 93/100