Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard 'The Nest' Cabernet Franc 2019

Top Rated Cabernet & Family - Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2022

Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard covers a steep territory from the ridgetops of Clarendon to the Onkaparinga River below. Since its establishment in 1971, the vineyard has played a vital role in Australia’s wine heritage, supplying fruit for many of Australia’s most iconic wines. It was not until 2012 that fruit from the vineyard was bottled under its own label, Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard.

Pretty safe to say this can now be considered Australia's leading Cab Franc.

"Hand picked 22nd March. Destemmed and whole-berry sorted, gentle crush. Cold soak and wild ferment. Pumped over daily, 15 days on skins. Basket pressed with light pressings included with free-run juice. Racked and returned twice during 15 months' maturation in fine-grained French oak (50% new). The quality of fruit, tannic precision and apposite application of oak under this banner are unequalled in Australia. Nobody else gets it quite as right. The budget and gear help, yet it is the viticulture and sites that are the foundation for everything else. Franc from a warm place, salvaging its sappy cavalcade of tannin, crunch and floral lift. Redcurrant, spearmint and chilli powder lace a finely tuned finish marked by a flourish of garden herb. Kerpow!" 96pts - Ned Goodwin - Wine Companion