Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz 2016

96 POINTS

Jane Faulkner - Halliday Wine Companion

A shiraz that's full-bodied and complex yet charming and swoon-worthy all at once. Excellent colour; the generosity of flavour comes through with red and black fruits, some licorice, cinnamon and a dusting of mocha. Freshness, bright acidity, length and beautiful, fine tannins seal the deal.

95 POINTS

Toni Paterson MW - The Real Review

A quiet, though self-assured wine with excellent density. Bitter-sweet chocolate aromas followed by a savoury, composed palate. Reserved dark fruits and ripe, framing tannin. One for the cellar

95 POINTS

Huon Hooke - The Real Review

Deep, bright red/purple colour, with a very appealing bouquet of black fruits, licorice and pepper spice. A hint of peppermint. There's an earthy, charcoal trace that is reminiscent of more conventional McLaren Vale shiraz. A delicious wine, the palate deftly balances fruit sweetness with savouriness and tannin dryness. (2433 cases made)

94 POINTS

Wine Spectator

There's a lovely sense of restraint here, with firm tannins reining in complex, detailed flavors of blueberry pie, kirsch and dark chocolate. Espresso, clove and caramel notes add even more complexity on the finish, where the flavors continue to unfold.

94 POINTS

James Suckling

A wine that really shows the prowess and attractive nature of the shiraz that this vineyard can produce. The concentrated yet fresh red plums and cherries really sing on the palate. Tannins glide like layers of silk. A brilliant wine.

93 POINTS

Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Overtones of vanilla and cedar mark the nose of the 2016 Brooks Road Shiraz, which aged in 20%-30% new French oak. Herbal notes and hints of green peppercorns add nuance to the ripe cherry flavors of this full-bodied red. The tannins are supple, making this wine approachable now, but they also linger softly on the finish, suggesting up to a decade of additional ageability.

93 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

The Hickinbotham wines tend to combine powerful flavours with (comparatively) modest alcohol levels; i.e. they’re not overdone. There’s a best-selling novel to be written, set in the Australian Wine Industry, titled Power Without Heat. Tannin. Always the tannin. You wouldn’t say there’s a great deal of it here but what there is is ultra fine and steady-as-a-keel. We have blackcurrant and jubey blackberry, redcurrant and malt, a touch of molasses too maybe, but the general feeling is of freshness. It’s more of a 21st than it is a 40th, in human year celebrations, if that makes sense; it has power and strut but it feels eager.