Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The Revivalist Merlot Mclaren Vale 2016 (750ml)

 

Rated 93 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Fragrant and expressive, offering mocha-laced maraschino cherry, framboise and raspberry flavors, with details of dried sage and tobacco on a plush, velvety frame.  Delivers wonderful presence and harmony on the finish, where the tannins provide appealing traction.  Drink now through 2033.

 

Rated 93 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

One of the best Merlots I've tasted from Australia, Hickinbotham's 2016 The Revivalist Merlot does hint at cherry tomatoes, cedar and vanilla on the nose, but it nails the mouthfeel.  It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety texture and layers of cherry and mocha flavors that linger into the long, plush finish.

 

Rated 92 Points by James Suckling

 

A bold, plum and spice style with cedary oak and an unmistakably Australian edge.  The palate has impressive depth and fresh red-plum flesh with firmish tannins, cradling ripe and zesty red plums.  Drink or hold.

 

Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard

 

The Revivalist Merlot

 

Mclaren Vale 2016

 

This is a lithe, sinuous, bright drink of considerable finesse and allure.  While quite approachable now, this is one which will greatly benefit from some years in the cellar: it will flesh up beautifully without losing its finesse.  The elegant aromas of red currant and bright black cherry offset the tannin structure, which is textbook: dry, dusty, vital and integral.  Vegan

 

Founded:  2012

 

Location:  McLaren Vale, South Australia

 

Winemaker:  Christopher Carpenter

 

The Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard covers a steep cut of country from the ridgetops above the village of Clarendon to the Onkaparinga River in the gorge below.  Since its establishment in 1971, the Hickinbotham vineyard has become a part of Australia's wine heritage, supplying fruit to produce many of Australia's greatest wines.  At the helm of the historic vineyard since 2012, winemaker Christopher Carpenter is continuing the winemaking legacy that began at Hickinbotham nearly 50 years ago.

 

 

Hickinbotham

 

92 Brooks Road

Clarendon, South Australia

 

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 pedigree of the Hickinbotham Vineyard has long been established but, until the change of ownership in 2012, grapes from the 85-hectares of vines were only ever sold to an esteemed list of winemakers.  With wineries including Penfolds, Clarendon Hills and Hardys, grapes were credited to flagship wines like Penfolds Grange and Eileen Hardy Shiraz.  It was only Clarendon Hills that released vineyard-designate wines bearing the “Hickinbotham” name.

 

The first four wines to bear the Hickinbotham Vineyard label were produced from the 2012 vintage: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cabernet Shiraz blend.  These parcels were selected from the oldest terraced plantings which trace the contours of the undulating, hillside terrain and continue to provide a rich tapestry of qualities from which the wines are crafted each year.

 

The character of the Hickinbotham Vineyard is profound and produces famously resilient wines with highly expressive character.  The breathtaking views from the top of the site down over the vines towards the Onkaparinga Gorge command ancient ground that is the key to the innate power this site produces.  The cooling breezes funnel through from the hills above and the coast below and lend a desirable freshness to the wines.

 

 

Rated 93 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Fragrant and expressive, offering mocha-laced maraschino cherry, framboise and raspberry flavors, with details of dried sage and tobacco on a plush, velvety frame.  Delivers wonderful presence and harmony on the finish, where the tannins provide appealing traction.  Drink now through 2033.