Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc 2022
- 95
- $90
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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.
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.
