Description
The Hickinbotham vineyard is somewhat of a legend amongst the Australian winemaking community.
Planted in 1971 in the Clarendon region, fruit from this important site has contributed to some of the most iconic wines in Australia's history. Here you get to taste a selection of their classic estate-grown wines.
- 2022 Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz
- 2022 Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2022 Hickinbotham Mr. Grant Malbec
- 2022 Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc
- 2022 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot
2022 Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz
Brooks Road is a Shiraz of intensity and polish, offering a more lifted, savoury expression of McLaren Vale from the elevated slopes of Clarendon.
The site sits above the Onkaparinga Gorge, not far from the Adelaide Hills, and the wine often shows a cooler, more perfumed edge compared to the darker, denser styles found further south. The 2022 vintage plays right into this signature - there’s plush black fruit, but also violet, tapenade, spice and a fine-boned structure that speaks of place.
There’s plenty of presence and power here, but it’s carried on a frame of silky, well-integrated tannins. Winemakers Chris Carpenter and Peter Fraser employ whole bunches and large format oak to enhance the savoury dimension without sacrificing purity or fruit definition.
Built to go the distance but already showing remarkable clarity and balance, Brooks Road continues to prove why this vineyard has been prized for decades.
96 points
“It’s a wine of intensity, verve and impressive harmony, with an elegant sheen of oak tastefully applied."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
96 points
“The Clarendon potency is all here with a nod to dried herbs and wildly fragrant spices. A complex and detailed wine that you can ponder for hours and marvel for days... A bucket list pairing would be a hearty pork and mushroom pie with gravy poured down the centre funnel. ”
- Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)
95 points
“A classy, polished, consummately detailed, full-bodied shiraz. Not an ounce of flab or extraneous sweetness on its refined structural bones.”
- Ned Goodwin (jamessuckling.com)
2022 Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon
Trueman is Hickinbotham’s flagship Cabernet and one of the most compelling examples of the variety in McLaren Vale—powerful, poised and built to age.
The fruit is hand-picked from Hickinbotham’s elevated Clarendon vineyard, perched above the Onkaparinga Gorge. With winemaking by Napa heavyweight Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, Cardinale) and Yangarra’s Peter Fraser, Trueman is where old-vine Australian pedigree meets a polished, modern lens.
The 2022 vintage was a cooler, drawn-out season, perfect for Cabernet, and the result is a wine of concentration and freshness. It opens with waves of blueberry, cassis and sage, with darker notes of olive tapenade, cocoa and graphite building in the glass. The palate is layered and structured, with fine tannins and a long, composed finish.
This is serious Cabernet that can hold its own on any global stage. If you’re building a cellar or just love seeing the variety in its more elegant form, Trueman is a must.
96 points
"An exceptional cabernet of flare and precision... A leader of the pack. Drinkable now, but best from 2030."
- Ned Goodwin (jamessuckling.com)
96 points
"Deep and brooding properties... Cedar and currant, ripe mulberry, cassis... An excellent release."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
96 points
"Draws you in... Blueberry and lilac, blackberries baking in a pie... screams pedigree and expertise."
- Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)
94 points
"Claret style... gravel and blackcurrant aromas... strong foundations for a decade or more."
- Angus Hughson (Vinous)
2022 Hickinbotham Mr. Grant Malbec
The second release of Malbec from Hickinbotham is a serious statement of intent - powerful, plush and characterful, with all the hallmarks of a classic Clarendon red.
Named after Clarendon’s first settler, Mr. Grant is drawn from a high-elevation, east-facing block planted in 2013. In 2022, the fruit came in pitch perfect, delivering a wine that’s deep in colour and layered in flavour. You’ll find raspberry compote, fresh herbs and rose petals on the nose, then a dark, supple palate dusted with cocoa, graphite and cracked pepper.
It’s not just showy fruit either - there’s real structure underneath. Malbec’s firm, round tannins lend shape, and a touch of Cabernet adds extra drive. It’s a wine that brings together plushness and polish with a savoury backbone, handled with care in the winery and aged in a mix of new and seasoned French oak.
Another compelling addition to the Hickinbotham range, and a must-try for fans of the variety.
96 points
"Glass-staining purple... full-bodied and dense... loaded with mouth-coating tannins... hugely impressive malbec."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
94 points
"Glossy ruby... lavender, lilacs, boysenberries... classy oak and impressionable immediacy of the fruit."
- Ned Goodwin (jamessuckling.com)
2022 Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc
Winemaker Chris Carpenter's inspiration for this single varietal release of Cabernet Franc is none other than the Bordeaux icon, Cheval Blanc.
Carpenter sees the depth and power of Bordeaux here, albeit through the silky McLaren Vale viel. It's a devastatingly smooth and seductive wine with perfectly ripe blackcurrant, boysenberry, violet and green leaf characters in spades.
Where so many modern Australian Cabernet Franc are built in the more youthful, energetic style reminiscent of the Loire Valley, this is a dead-serious cellaring option and arguably one of the most impressive examples of the variety ever produced in this country.
Buy it. Drink it. Savour it. Watch it unfurl over the coming decades. This is as good as Cabernet Franc gets in this country.
95 points
"Expressive take on cabernet franc... elegance and varietal clarity... refined structural drive."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"Impossible to put down... bramble, cassis, salted licorice, star anise... seductive and supple."
- Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)
2022 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot
The Revivalist is an elegant, expressive take on the variety, grown on the elevated slopes of Clarendon and farmed organically since 2019.
The 2022 vintage delivers a wine that feels plush but never heavy, with dark plum and mulberry at the core, lifted by notes of toasted hazelnut, fresh tobacco and subtle spice from seasoned French oak. A cool, slow ripening season helped retain freshness and energy, while 50% new oak and a stint in foudre bring polish and depth.
On the palate, the wine is seamless and composed - silky tannins, ripe but savoury fruit, and a bright acid line give shape to a long, composed finish. It’s a Merlot with structure and class, far removed from the soft and soupy styles of old.
A quietly confident red that will reward both near-term drinking and mid-term cellaring.
95 points
“This harnesses a more rounded fruit profile, but also with proper linear tannins and drive. It’s a relatively elegant expression, though with a depth of plum and mulberry, subtle florals, graphite, roasted hazelnut and a balanced gloss of classy oak.”
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
“Acidity walks an ascending line without artifact and the wine manages that leisurely form that only merlot can provide. Satisfying, flavour and harmonious. Some powdery tannins mean this will age another 4-5 years gracefully. Beef and black bean stir fry would set this off nicely.”
- Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)
| Country | Australia |
| Region | McLaren Vale |
| Feature |
High Score |
| Size | 7 |
Hickinbotham
Michael Lane, Peter Fraser & Chris Carpenter Hickinbotham Vineyard
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