2024 Yangarra Hickinbotham Clarendon Grenache, McLaren Vale

A lovely balance of savory fruit and soil, lifted by perfume and freshness. Aromas of citrus peel, blood oranges, black cherries, pomegranate, sea spray and charcuterie, alongside iron, potpourri and dried raspberries. The palate is textural, rounded and finely tuned, with firmly framed yet polished tannins and a saline edge. An earthy herbal tone supports the fruit. Really expressive and generous with plenty of structure and an underlying power that will unravel for years to come. Drink or hold.

97 points Ryan Montgomery for James Suckling, August 2025

From 1962-planted vines on brown clay loam with shattered siltstone; destemmed, crushed and fermented in 1800L cocciopesto amphorae, with four months' skin contact. There’s always a little more flesh to the Hickinbotham bottling, with the fruits a deep red, yet it has an overwhelmingly savoury fruit profile. That said, elegance is a byword for the whole grenache suite, with transparency, fine detail and natural tannin complexity constants. Deep red and black cherry, dark rose, some faint blue fruit/floral cues, Baharat, a very fine anise note, along with amaro herbs and warm earth, all so finely wrought. Tannins are so elegant yet insistent, and the accord with acidity make this dangerously drinkable now; though, given the wine holds up for several days, the future is assured. Drink to 2036.

96+ points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, July 2026

Medium-full red with a faint trace of purple in the meniscus; the bouquet of dry earthy nuances and a hint of cherry cough lolly is reticent while the palate is drying and sinewy, like a tightly closed fist, and there's a sense that it's hiding some of its goodies. Can be enjoyed now but come back later for the full benefit. Drink to 2038.

92 points Huon Hopoke for The Real Review, July 2026

Yangarra Estate has been at the forefront of McLaren Vale Grenache for two decades, farming its single estate organically and biodynamically in Blewitt Springs. Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard is a neighbouring site in the elevated hills of Clarendon on the northern edge of McLaren Vale. This wine represents some of the most distinctive Grenache being made anywhere in the country.