Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc 2019

SKU
HICF201910 UCAU
  • From the iconic Clarendon subregion of Mclaren Vale
  • 91% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 2% Merlot
  • Only the third vintage of this stunning wine
  • 1 or more bottles
    $75.00
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In Stock Ready for dispatch from Warehouse same or next business day: Friday 29th of March.
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  • James Halliday'
    96 points
  • Joe Czerwinski
    93 points
  • Campbell Mattin
    93 points
LOW STOCK - ONLY 3 LEFT

Editors notes

Although only the Nest’s third vintage, the 2019 is utterly stunning. This Cabernet Franc expresses true varietal characteristics such as black tea and rich raspberry with a touch of bay leaf. The mid-palate is dense yet delicate and the finish features fine velvety tannins. A showstopper now, one can only imagine the cellaring potential.

Details

Tasting Profile

  • Light (Light)
    Full (Full)
  • Low Tannin (Low Tannin)
    Tannic (Tannic)
  • Sweet (Sweet)
    Dry (Dry)
  • Low Acidity (Low Acidity)
    High Acidity (High Acidity)
  • Aroma
    • Blueberry
    • Herbal
    • Tomato Bush
  • Palate
    • Black Fruits
    • Cassis
    • Graphite

Food Pairings

  • Pork
  • Red Meat

Critic Scores & reviews

  • James Halliday's Wine Companion

    96
    "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!"
  • Joe Czerwinski

    93
    "Pleasantly leafy and herbal—without getting into the vegetal end of things—Hickinbotham's 2019 The Nest Cabernet Franc is the third consecutive strong vintage for this wine, which is loaded with dark cassis and black cherry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and richly textured, it finishes long, with echoes of cigar box and pipe tobacco. THE WINE ADVOCATE"
  • Campbell Mattinson

    93
    "A nest of cabernet franc. Strong fruit, strong tannin and strong oak. It’s balanced within its own world but this is a heavy hitter. A big serve of resiny vanilla, mint, chocolate, steel and redcurrant, with plum notes drenching the palate. Dry, rusty herbs, the leftovers from a couple of summers ago combine with florals, old too, dried too. Less oak would have been good but this is a wine set up to age. Strong arms, this one. Ropes of tannin territory."

Other vintages

Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.

Current auction

All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.

Locations

Australia

Australia's wine industry is a thriving part of the country's economy, contributing significantly to employment, production, export, and tourism. In fact, the industry is the fourth-largest wine exporter in the world, shipping out 760 million liters of wine to countries including France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. One of the key factors contributing to Australia's success as a "New World" wine producer is the formal export and marketing of its wines through Wine Australia.

Australia's wine regions are scattered across the south and southeast, with almost every state boasting its own vineyards. Victoria, for example, is home to an impressive 21 wine regions. Some of the most famous wine regions in Australia include Margaret River, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, and local regions to New South Wales such as Cowra, Southern Highlands, and Mudgee.

Australian winemakers are known for producing a diverse range of grape varieties, with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir being among the most popular. They tend to focus on producing wines that are ripe, fruit-forward, and easy to drink, using modern winemaking techniques and equipment such as stainless steel tanks and temperature-controlled fermentation.

With its bold, fruit-driven flavors and reputation for quality and diversity, Australian wine has become a popular choice for wine lovers around the world. And with such a broad range of wine regions and grape varieties, there's something for every palate to enjoy.

South Australia

If you like Australian wine, then you probably like South Australia wine. The rich reds produced there put Australia on the wine-making map of the world. With over 40% of the country's vineyards, South Australia can rightfully call itself the wine state.

Wines are produced in several regions throughout the state, though many are naturally grouped together, like Barossa and Eden Valleys, only 15 minutes apart. They include such regions as Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, The Limestone Coast, McLaren Vale and Wrattonbully to name but a few!

Barossa Valley boasts some of the oldest vines in Australia dating back to 1843 and produces some of the world's finest Shiraz, whilst the 'terra rossa' soils of Coonawarra is most suited to producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons. If you're a fan of Riesling, Clare Valley is a great place to explore and for a Maritime climate not dissimilar to parts of the Italian coastline, seek out the wines from McLaren Vale.

McLaren Vale

The McLaren Vale wine region is located less than an hours drive south of Adelaide, along the coastline.

Shiraz is by far the most widely planted variety, and the most important variety for the region, accounting for about 50% of the total crush. Every winery in the region will likely be producing at least one or more Shiraz wines, and with the wide range of unique terroirs available, each influenced by the maritime climate in unique ways, each Shiraz will have its own regional nuances.

Shiraz produced in McLaren Vale will often exhibit chocolate and coffee notes, with a little less pepper than those from Barossa Valley, and are often blended with Grenache. Other red varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon (and Merlot blends) Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Tannat and Zinfandel. The main white variety would be Chardonnay, however Semillon and it's common blending partner Sauvignon Blanc are made, alongside lesser amounts of Riesling, Pronto Bianco, Vermentino and Fiano.

If you plan to visit McLaren Vale there are over 65 cellar doors so you'll be spoiled for choice, ranging from the small-boutique wineries to very large wineries. The drive from McLaren Vale up to the Barossa Valley is very scenic, passing over the rolling Adelaide Hills, and though the quaint German-settled town of Hahndorf.

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Pairs Well With

Whether it's a decadent cheese, mouth-watering red meat, perfectly cooked poultry, succulent seafood, or a vegetarian feast, for every wine or spirit you choose from us, we provide you with a number of helpful suggestions for what will pair deliciously with your purchase.

Frequently Bought With

About the brand Hickinbotham

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. After noticing an auction for a parcel of country property and fully aware of the 125-year history of the vineyard across the river, Alan Hickinbotham Jr. decided to bid on it. And luckily he did. 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.

Alan and his family began establishing water reservoirs and planning a serious vineyard, planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz on dry-grown, terraced blocks. He soon bought 37 hectares called Schmidts on the opposite side of the road (facing south), and his son David added another 16ha neighbouring the original north-facing purchase, then more land on the western side.

The Clarendon Vineyard has continued the legacy of Alan Sr. with great pride. The Hickinbothams were very highly regarded for the sublime quality of the fruit they grew at Clarendon, selling select parcels to Penfolds for Grange and to Hardy's for their equivalent white flagship, the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay.
By 2000, Alan’s son David Hickinbotham had established a partnership with winemaker Roman Bratasiuk, who with great success launched his Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Vineyard. After Alan’s passing in 2010, David took over the stewardship of the property, in January 2012 sold Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard to the Jackson Family who continues the legacy today.

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