Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Vineyard Old Vine Grenache, Clarendon, Australia

克拉倫敦山希金博特園老藤歌海娜干紅葡萄酒

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Hints of bay leaf and cedar accent the cherry fruit of the 2014 Hickinbotham Grenache. From a warmer vintage than the 2013, it's full-bodied and creamy through the mid-palate, yet it remains crisp, structured and tight. Cellar it a couple of more years.

The 2013 Hickinbotham Grenache shows some dry, cedary wood atop red berries. It's medium to full-bodied but crisp and tart, with cranberry fruit and a taut, sinuous feel on the palate. Give it a couple of more years in the bottle, as wines from this vineyard invariably seem to demand aging.

Pale to medium ruby/purple, the 2012 Hickinbotham Grenache has a gorgeous nose of red cherry and crushed raspberries, white mulberries, sandalwood, potpourri, cinnamon and violets. Full-bodied, perfumed and elegant, the palate is shaped by firm, fine tannins and lots of freshness before finishing very long and perfumed.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 Hickinbotham Vineyard Grenache has aromas of raspberry tart, cinnamon stick and nutmeg with nuances of dried cranberries and mandarin peel. Full bodied with a generous amount of warm red berry and spice flavors, it has a good line of enlivening acid with a medium-firm level of velvety tannins and a long finish. Delicious now, it should cellar to 2021+. Importer: Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA

The 2007 Grenache Hickinbotham delivers a bit more aromatic complexity, Cedar, underbrush, black cherry, and black currant aromas lead to a richly fruited, firm, layered wine. This lengthy effort should evolve for another 3-4 years and drink well for a decade. In a sign of the times, pricing for Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills portfolio has been reduced by close to 50% across the board. Suddenly, most of the wines offer an excellent price to quality relationship. As usual, the Clarendon Hills wines are unblended, 100% varietal, sourced from mostly old-vine, ungrafted, single vineyards, fermented naturally, and bottled without fining or filtration. Only seasoned oak is used for the Grenache bottlings, 100% new French oak for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new French oak for the Syrahs depending upon the cuvee. There is a new addition to the portfolio, a Mourvedre sourced from 12 year old vines and aged in 2 year old French oak. The year 2007 was more difficult than the three that preceded it, marked by a 45-50% reduction in crop levels and elevated tannin from the resulting thick skins. As Bratasiuk notes, “Tight, drying tannin is the hallmark of the vintage.” Nevertheless, this is an impressive collection from one of Australia’s icon wineries.Importer: E & J Gallo, Modesto, CA; www.clarendonhills.com.au