The second release of this label for vigneron Alan Hickinbotham, the fruit for this wine comes off his Biscay Road vineyard. With 46 hectares of biscay soil that is ten feet deep, this joins his Paringa and 3 Rings labels. As Hickinbotham says, the dry, cracking biscay clay would be something the late great Shane Warne would have enjoyed bowling on. Personally, I have nearly lost a leg not far from this site on Krondorf Road. Those cracks are deep!
More rounded than the 2022 release that was re-reviewed alongside it, this is an impressive drink for the money.
Seeing French oak for 18 months, juicy blackberries, olive leaf and olive tapenade set the tone and I want to dive in. There is a restrained energy here that builds the curiosity even more. Savoury vibes come in the form of some leather and puffs of earth as soft spices cascade over one another. Curiously, I didn't see it initially but after a few hours, camphor rises up but then moves on its way. A fine lick of choc mint offers a parting tease calling you back for more. Beautiful stuff!
Drink to five years+
93/100
Region: Barossa
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