Hickinbotham 2021 Releases

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Jet-setting Californian winemaker Chris Jackson is a man with dozens of estates around the world and he was recently in London to give us a taste of one of his newest acquisitions Hickinbotham, from some of the highest vineyards in the McLaren Vale.

While the estate is new, the vineyard certainly is not. In fact, before the Jacksons purchased Hickinbotham, old vine fruit from the estate used to go into the Blend of Penfolds Grange, as well as to Clarendon Hills. Most fruit is still sold on, but the winemaking team of Christopher Carpenter and Peter Fraser keep the best to carry the Hickinbotham label.

Unsurprisingly given the pedigree, flagship wine ‘The Peake’ is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, but it was the Cabernet Franc based ‘The Nest’ that most captured the attention when we tasted. Forget everything you know about Cabernet Franc tannins – here the texture is pure velvet, yet the floral aromatic essence of the grape remains. This is a Cab Franc to convert anyone to the charms of the grape, especially in a vintage as strong as 2021.