Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The Nest Cabernet Franc 2022

Prepare to nestle into something truly special with Hickinbotham's The Nest Cabernet Franc! This wine bursts with red currant and ripe berry charm, with a fresh, leafy character that adds an earthy twist. Silky tannins coat the palate, making each sip glide effortlessly, revealing an elegant structure with a fine backbone and long finish. With its refined, polished texture, this Cab Franc is both timeless and distinctly modern—a beautiful expression of varietal purity.

Critics thoughts -   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 Wine Pilot

Cab Franc from as warm and sun-soaked a climate as McLaren Vale’s runs a risk of losing its herbal varietal character to the plush fruit. While there’s certainly no shortage of the latter here (think: wild blueberry and raspberry), the former still flies bay leaf and dried oregano flags high. It’s tightly structured with taut, cocoa-dust tannins, lovely freshness and tension that suggest this could age quite beautifully over the next decade or more. Hickinbotham.  94 points Christina Pickard  Wine Enthusiast