Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz 2022
- 94
- $90
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Pink peppercorn spice melds nicely with blueberry, blackberry and blood plum fruits to start. Some time in the glass draws out an iodine-laced minerality, adding lift and further savoury appeal, along with pan juices, smoky bacon, cacao powder, dried herbs and black olive tapenade. This is very sophisticated, unfurling to reveal excellent poise and elegant complexity. At three years of age, there’s still a youthful exuberance to the palate – it’s elegant and intense with notes of plum, fine cedar, smoky bacon, cacao powder, black cherry, black olive and bitter dark chocolate. It all glides through the mouth before firm-but-fine grainy tannins anchor the wine and add textural dimension, framing it to a long finish. The bitter notes persist. This is well made, with oak present but integrated, making for a McLaren Vale Shiraz that’s true to its place while maintaining elegance and detail.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
