2020 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The Revivalist Merlot

93 POINTS

Ned Goodwin - Halliday Wine Companion

Hand picked and destemmed to whole berries. Wild fermented after a brief cold soak; 21 days on skins. Pressed to classy barriques (50% new). Full bodied, suave and dense, yet does not stray into decadence. Fine drinking. Damson plum, vanillin oak, spice and a swathe of dusty tannins driving across the finish. Forward and certainly approachable already. Fine drinking. More to come?

92 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The 2020 Merlot The Revivalist with splashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon is a sumptuous, fragrant wine. Already approachable, it delivers plush open-knit aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry with tinges of leaf and dried herbs. A good volume of flavor follows but is slightly edged out by toasty oak and drying tannins through a reasonable finish. This has crowd pleaser written all over it.

91 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Merlot from 1976 (50%), 1989 (35%) and 2013 (3%, but Petit Verdot). Tastes like Australian Merlot, with that lemon zest and green olive note, also plum and poached strawberry, cedar/vanilla oak in tow. Medium-bodied, kind of sappy and zesty, with light powdery tannin, sour cherry and rhubarb, and a fresh finish of good length, all tobacco and raspberry. Nice wine. A different style of South Australian red.

90 POINTS

Stuart Knox - The Real Review

Medium ruby-red hue. Wood oil, plum jam and cola spices. A rich and full style, plummy fruit fills the middle then the remainder of the palate relies on oak richness and complexities. Decent length and is very silky into the finish

90 POINTS

Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast

There's a dusty library feel to the nose of this McLaren Vale Merlot, from vines over 50 years old. It, combined with dried-cherry and cigar-box aromas, subtle fine tannins and moderate acidity, gives an impression of wine older than this is. Nevertheless, despite some toasted coconut oak influence showing, it's nuanced, with layers rarely seen in this variety Down Under. Just don't leave it in the cellar for too long.