McLaren Vale is well known in the wine world for making elegant, soft and fruity wines. While this is true, the really special part of the region is the variety of wines that are made in such a small area. To add to this complexity is the amazing range of soils growers have to work with. For these two main reasons, McLaren Vale has quickly become the land of many vines and many wines.
Clarendon is just 35 minutes by road from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, and is the elevated gateway to the greater McLaren Vale region. The region encapsulates a diverse wine growing area that touches the coastline on its western edge and is framed by the Onkaparinga Hills to the north and the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east and south.
The McLaren Vale coastline is among the most beautiful in Australia. The confluence of the hills and ocean is a key influence on the quality and style of wines made here and contributes to a broad range of ancient geologies.
Tasting the Legendary Hickinbotham Wines
The first vines at the Hickinbotham Vineyard were planted in 1971 by Alan David Hickinbotham, son of Australia’s first wine science lecturer at the famous Roseworthy Agricultural College, Alan Robb Hickinbotham. This 186-hectare property of rolling hillsides remained under Hickinbotham family ownership for more than 40 years until it was purchased by the Jackson family in 2012. The vineyard has been farmed according to organic and biodynamic practices since 2019.The Hickinbotham Vineyard sits in an oasis-like setting at the top of a long ridgeline that traces the northern end of the McLaren Vale wine region, just above the township of Clarendon. This is a revered pocket of McLaren Vale wine country and is home to some of the region’s oldest vines and most prized vineyards that are renowned for making elegantly powerful and long-living red wines.
2021 Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz - Exhibits the compelling single site character of the vineyard. It marries red, blue and black fruit aromas with perfumed and savory elements and captures the full flavor of Shiraz with deeply ripe plum and blackberry fruits. The powerful and defined tannins are balanced with even-paced acid structure which accentuates length of flavor and delivers a sense of sustained purity on the palate.
2021 Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc - A pure Cabernet Franc, it expresses true varietal characteristics of red currant, red berry and leafy, bracken notes. The palate has a compact style with finely compressed tannins that create a smooth, almost polished texture. The enduring freshness, intensity and elegance of this wine are the defining characters.
2021 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot - From the violet and red flower perfume to the soulful earthy aromas, ebulliently ripe fresh plum fruit flavors and suave fleshy tannins, we carefully layer this wine to a complex yet seamless style. The resounding freshness and lively acid structure ensures this wine is a lively, energetic and mouth-filling expression of Merlot.
2021 Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon - Violet, blueberry, purple olive and cedar aromas lead to rich blueberry, blackberry and plum flavors. Tannins are long and layered, delivering exceptional depth of flavor and a long, seamless impression that ages very well.
