Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz 2021

A powerful yet polished McLaren Vale Shiraz showing raspberry, black plum, clove and star anise. Full-bodied and plush, the palate remains fresh and poised, with fine savoury tannins and bright acidity supporting generous fruit. Extended maturation in oak, foudre and concrete egg adds complexity and balance.

Food Pairing: Pairs best with grilled lamb chops, pepper-crusted ribeye, braised beef short ribs, or venison.

95 Points - James Suckling

An excellent example of warm-climate shiraz, full-weighted and plush, yet it manages to come across as fresh, poised and eminently drinkable all at once. Not an easy feat. Hand-picked and extracted gently, with the cap kept wet across a three-week period on skins. Matured in oak (30% new) for eight months before blending and then transferred to an old 25L foudre and a concrete egg for a further 10 months. Raspberry coulis, clove, star anise and black plum. The tannins, impeccably managed, as is the wont here, with a fine line of savory chew. The freshness, bright and salty. Excellent wine. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

95 Points - Wine Spectator

Powerful, with plenty of verve and polish to the generous flavors of morello cherries in syrup, spiced plum, black currant and juicy blackberry. Accents of bay leaf, sage and rosemary, along with pepper, black tea and licorice notes, linger on the long, velvety finish, backed by a hint of Sichuan pepper. Drink now through 2037.

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast

Plum, licorice, ground pepper, pencil lead and toasty baking spice notes appear with plenty of swirling in glass. The palate is juicy fruited with a satiny texture that's tempered by chiseled tannins. Nevertheless, despite being a little reticent, it can be drunk with protein (and a decant) or cellared another decade at least.

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Brooks Road Shiraz is incredibly perfumed, with field flowers, herbal tea, graphite, pencil box, spiced blood plum, aniseed, clove and Peking sauce. In the mouth, the wine is medium weight and dark, dark, dark, littered with exotic black things. A nighttime wine. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.