87% Cab Franc, 11% Merlot, 2% Malbec. Goodness me, I’m so glad Cabernet Franc is finally having a moment in the spotlight. This is a delight. The nose is resplendent with pretty musk stick, red spiced berry, frosted sugar plum and cedar woodsy crunch. Billowing with pretty purple florals, yet it’s still woven back to earth with some cured meat soaked in dark cacao and smudges of graphite stick. The palate follows through with a cascade of tannins, fine and almost dusty on the surface, yet with a firm core. More purple prettiness on the palate, albeit with a twirl of candied aniseed and mulberry crush. There’s a solid use of oak, but the fruit holds up, and the final effect is a Cab Franc with gravitas. This isn’t a spicy, leaf-laden, juicy thing. This is emboldened Cab Franc. It’s polished its dress shoes and put on an evening jacket. By Cassandra Charlick
95 POINTS
Tom Kline - Winepilot
This comes from a block planted in 2013 with the cépage being 87% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 2% Malbec. This is supremely elegant, fine-boned and lifted with a lovely sense of purity. Crushed autumn leaves, fragrant red plum, redcurrant, fine cedar, pink peppercorn and a stony minerality add lift and coolness. There’s some paperbark, bay leaf and delicate sweet clove with air, along with an olive-tapenade nuance. This is very classy in its finesse and elegance – threads that carry through to the palate, which is both lithe and lively. Cooling mineral lift is a defining feature alongside notes of bright plum, subtle olive tapenade, earth, red cherry and redcurrant. Cedar notes sit in the backseat. The tannins are chalky and firm-but-fine, putting up a lovely frame through a long and precise finish while also adding some cacao-nib bitterness. This is a wine of sophistication and grace, with lovely mineral detail and masterful finesse. Brilliant.
87% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 2% Malbec, for all Aussie intents and purposes this is Hickinbothams Cabernet Franc bottling and it is handpicked, destemmed and whole berry sorted. 16 days on skins basket pressed matured in French oak barriques of which 60% was new for 15 months. Like a shiny new toy this is impossible to put down. Bramble, cassis and sandy potting soil, like the type used for succulents and cactus. There is an edge of salted licorice, handfuls of star anise and cardamom. Oak looks quite polished here and adds to the gleam and glamour of the wine. It’s seductive and supple with gathering waves of acidity that linger. A wine that’s pleasure is immediate and yet worth some time in the decanter to get to know it better, before you envelop it.
95 POINTS
Shanteh Wale - Winepilot
87% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 2% Malbec, for all Aussie intents and purposes this is Hickinbothams Cabernet Franc bottling and it is handpicked, destemmed and whole berry sorted. 16 days on skins basket pressed matured in French oak barriques of which 60% was new for 15 months. Like a shiny new toy this is impossible to put down. Bramble, cassis and sandy potting soil, like the type used for succulents and cactus. There is an edge of salted licorice, handfuls of star anise and cardamom. Oak looks quite polished here and adds to the gleam and glamour of the wine. It’s seductive and supple with gathering waves of acidity that linger. A wine that’s pleasure is immediate and yet worth some time in the decanter to get to know it better, before you envelop it.
95 POINTS
Marcus Ellis - Halliday Wine Companion
A blend of 87/11/2% cabernet franc/merlot/malbec. From a block planted in '13; crushed fruit fermented with native yeast; 16 days on skins; 15 months' maturation in French oak (60% new), then blended and matured in old oak for two months. This is an expressive take on cabernet franc, but as with all the wines in the '22 range, elegance and varietal clarity are prized, with this clocking in at moderate alcohol and with refined structural drive.
95 POINTS
Marcus Ellis - Halliday Wine Companion
A blend of 87/11/2% cabernet franc/merlot/malbec. From a block planted in '13; crushed fruit fermented with native yeast; 16 days on skins; 15 months' maturation in French oak (60% new), then blended and matured in old oak for two months. This is an expressive take on cabernet franc, but as with all the wines in the '22 range, elegance and varietal clarity are prized, with this clocking in at moderate alcohol and with refined structural drive.
94 POINTS
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front
Both balance and texture are key features of this wine though the long, elegant flow of flavour through the finish is arguably the high point. Chocolate, currants, bay leaves and fragrant herbs notes are threaded intricate with fine-grained tannin, though the flavour itself feels creamy and effectively plush. Everything about this wine feels quality.
93 POINTS
Ned Goodwin - JamesSuckling.com
Plenty of class here. Crushed currants, paprika, spiced Damson plums and a touch of pimento. More medium-bodied and savory than previous vintages. The oak is a perfect framework. This is not as spectacular as this bottling has proven in the past. And yet the poise and drinkability cannot be disputed.
