Henschke Hill of Grace 1993 & 1994

[JamieBahrain]

The 1993 has always been an underrated Hill of Grace vintage. Perhaps because it was so rare and few familiar with it? Yields were down and a single bottle limit at cellar door.

At the 27 year mark, it is still loaded with fruit aromatically and in palate flavour. It has the haunting depth of the best HofG vintages- though perhaps not the length. Structurally there's some skeletal oak and tannin and the wine completes with good carry.

Delightful!

95pts


The 1994 is well crafted and very powerful. Loaded with blackberry, bitumen and cocoa like notes and wafts of wild Aussie flora. It's very well balanced, more extract than the 93, though overall, on this showing, not near as complex.

94pts


I think I'm down to my last mixed case of HofG. A 90, 92's and plenty of 94's. Some 02's as well. Quite novel to bring them out on occasion with family after having shared most of my collection, in many formal tastings over the years.


[url=https://postimg.cc/MMqsggBQ][img]https://i.postimg.cc/63GD4X5Y/566-BDE1-D-E8- ... 41-CC3.jpg[/img][/url]

[michel]

At least you had a decent corkscrew....
94s can be kind

[JamieBahrain]

I have two of those cork-screws. First fell apart and they replaced it and I fixed the original. So now one for Australia and one for Hong Kong . They got a work out this week . Night before a magnum of 67 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, which was a ripper vintage claret.

[url=https://postimg.cc/F74ypRd0][img]https://i.postimg.cc/RV3gMJvp/07-C2-F89-E-63 ... 28-C38.jpg[/img][/url]

[Waiters Friend]

Hi Jamie, is there a TN for the 67 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou?

[JamieBahrain]

Hi Jamie, is there a TN for the 67 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou?

You know me? In only write notes for my beloved Piedmont- or the odd interesting Aussie event I may host.

It was an outstanding wine. I've had a few First Growths from this vintage over the last six months and I by far enjoyed this wine more. Maybe magnum format preserved the freshness? I'm not a Bordeaux guy but honestly, this ticked the boxes for me as a classic expression of mature Claret.

Sorry I'm not much help. Kicked on with a bottle of Stonyridge Larose 2003, which I enjoyed too, perhaps a bit squeally after a mature Bordeaux.

[url=https://postimg.cc/FfdXCzqK][img]https://i.postimg.cc/mrVZDFy7/56371-D46-343- ... 3-E969.jpg[/img][/url]

[George Krashos]

Interesting re the '67 given that it was a pretty average vintage and rode on the coat tails of '66. Notwithstanding the magnum format, and I hate to broach this, but is there any chance that it might have been a ... fake?

[JamieBahrain]

I'm always cynical about faked wines and have learn't a lot from friends in the international fine wine trade and winemakers ( dark Barolo for instance ).

I see the resolution isn't great. The cork in the picture is indicative of a 50 year old wine. The wine was pretty cheap ansd perhaps not worth the effort of faking. It was also representative of tasting notes of surprised punters considering the vintage. So too it was unmistakably a very aged Bordeaux- yet the freshness of the fruit and structure offsetting very typical tertiary nuance.

[JamieBahrain]

Last night I had a 1967 Chateau Latour which was polished and long as you’d expect, teased with a hint of red fruit amongst the tertiary buzz. Good wine though preferred the 67 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou magnum.


[url=https://postimg.cc/rzNF2T3s][img]https://i.postimg.cc/c1VKY4cR/1-F7-FCB58-88- ... 6-A111.jpg[/img][/url]