Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Intense blackberry and fleshy black plum fruit are accented with cigar box aromas and cedar and vanillin oak flavors. Long, elegant finish. Ready to drink now and over the next seven or eight years.

can't go wrong with this bottle

November 2009

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Only 6 bottles or less available. Robert Parker 95 points!"The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Hickinbotham Vineyard is the most backward and Pauillac-like of this trio. Its inky/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas of cedar- black currant liqueur- flowers- licorice- and a notion of new oak in the background. This full-throttle- powerful- concentrated- well-delineated Cabernet Sauvignon should be at its finest between 2010-2025." Robert Parker- Wine Advocate # 161 Oct 2005. Clarendon read more...HillsClarendon Hills- 25 miles south of Adelaide- was established in 1989 by Roman Bratasiuk- the owner/winemaker. Since its establishment just over a decade ago Clarendon Hills has had amazing success. Clarendon Hills has received excellent reviews from both critics and publications alike. From The Wine Advocate to the Wine Companion and Wine Spectator- to being named as one of Robert Parker's 'Wine Producers of the Year' in his newsletter Issue 108 - Clarendon Hills continues to impress. In August 2003- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) names Clarendon Hills as one of Australia and the world's greatest wineries. The quality of Clarendons success can be attributed to a number of things. Firstly the age of the vines- the town Clarendon was established in 1845. Today many of the vineyards surrounding the winery are over seventy years old the gnarly and twisted bush vines are dry farmed and the grapes are hand picked. Secondly the soil variation and quality- the soil profiles of each winery are very different. This difference- from the rock and shale of Piggott Range to the heavy clay of the Clarendon Grenache Vineyard. Lastly Roman's dedication and philosophy to winemaking. His aim is quite simply to make wines equal to anything in the world. Special parcels of grapes are selected from old dry grown vineyards in the Clarendon- Blewitt Springs and Kangarilla sub regions of South Australia. All the vineyards are within six kilometres of the winery- about forty kilometres south of Adelaide. All grapes are hand pruned and hand picked. The juice is fermented using natural yeasts. The reds undergo a warm fermentation (up to 32°C) and an extended maceration. All the pressings are returned to the barrel (100% new if required). All the wines are matured in imported Burgundian barriques. The wines are then bottled without fining or filtration to capture the individual vineyard character. There are now fifteen single vineyard wines and they are 100% varietal. The above techniques are used to produce rich complex wines that will age very well in the cellar and also will complement food extremely well. The aim is to make these wines equal to anything in the world. www.clarendonhills.com.auHickinbothamHickinbotham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Power packed heavyweight cabernet with mint and massive blackberry fruit character- powerful tannins and a solid finish. Will cellar for 30 years. Hickinbotham Vineyard Old Vines Grenache Situated just across the road from the Clarendon Old Vines Grenache Vineyard but on much harder ground facing north. The wine here is quite austere in its youth developing slowly but positively. Always shows lots of spice on the nose- marzipan also- and a palate which is long and tightly focused with abundant white pepper and Asian spices in the aftertaste. This wine needs cellaring to unravel all of its mysteries. Hickinbotham Vineyard Syrah Planted in the Onkaparinga Valley in the Clarendon Hills area- this wine is always very peppery and spicy with nuances of Leather and minerals. A most individual wine - always very deeply coloured and with abundant tannin.    (hide)

October 2008

I picked this up for $75 and was very happy with it. It had a nice bite at the beginning and quickly warmed and worked its way all around my palate. The finish was long-lasting and quite enjoyable. I don't know that I can really appreciate this wine for all that it is, yet, but I've put it on my wishlist to try again.

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July 2008

Rating: 88/100 - As reviewed by Wine Spectator on 06/30/05

Rating: 93/100 - As reviewed by The Wine Advocate