Hill of Grace and its little brother – verticals back to the 1970s

In an Australian wine scene that increasingly seems dominated either by soulless, foreign-owned big companies or cultish fly-by-nights, the Henschkes of Eden Valley seem increasingly solid and reassuring. Stephen and Pru Henschke are both serious, quality-driven scientists focusing on cellar and vineyards respectively with a surprisingly diverse range of wines grown in both the original Eden Valley territory and, more recently, the (much cooler) Adelaide Hills.

Their most famous wine by far is Hill of Grace, a serious rival to Penfolds Grange on the auction circuit and, for my money, a much more subtle Shiraz – less of an...