A luxurious combination of soft ripe autumn berries with fresh cool country cherries, this wine exemplifies the harmony that can be achieved by blending these two noble grapes together. The wine has an unctuous elegance that caresses the palate with a structure that is exceeded only in its width by its length. Still a youthful creature, this wine will age gracefully for decades to come. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%) and Shiraz (43%). Sourced from 1971 (100%) planted on the Estate. All batches were fermented separately and blended prior to bottling. These batches of Cabernet and Shiraz represent the pinnacle wines from the Estate, our vision is to produce a seamless integration of the best of both varieties, with great aging potential. The winemaking follow suit from the previous wines, this wine is about the best blocks of the vintage and best barrels being carefully blended. Rack and returned three times during the maturation of 15 months 100% new oak, Shiraz Burgundy coopered French oak, Cabernet Bordeaux coopered French oak Alan Hickinbotham established the vineyard bearing his name in 1971 when he planted dry- grown cabernet sauvignon and shiraz in contoured rows on the sloping site. He was a very successful builder, this his first venture into wine, but his father, Alan Robb Hickinbotham, had a long and distinguished career, co-founding the oenology diploma at Roseworthy in 36. In 2012 Clarendon, and the stately sandstone house on the property, was purchased by Jackson Family Wines; it is run as a separate business from Yangarra Estate Vineyard, with different winemaking teams and wines. The Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard covers a steep cut of country from the ridgetops above the village of Clarendon to the Onkaparinga River in the gorge below. Since its establishment in 1971, the Hickinbotham vineyard has become a part of Australias wine heritage, supplying fruit to produce many of Australias greatest wines. The Clarendon Vineyard has sold select parcels to Penfolds for Grange and to Hardys for their equivalent white flagship, the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay.

A single-block Shiraz from 80-year-old vines. Hand harvested. The fruit, spends 10 days on skins, hard pressings removed. Moved to puncheons for malolactic conversion & maturation, 14 months on oak. An approachable, yet complex, drop. A nose of Red berries, earthy tones & baking spice. A full & fleshy palate of plums, berries, dried spice, & chocolate with robust tannin structure.

The Old Vine Syrah patch was planted in the 1930s and is on a slope of the property with a westerly aspect. These old gnarly vines are planted in heavily decomposed ironstone and quartz. The style of wine is completely individual and the winemaking team always comment on how light the style is and how exotic the spices are in this vineyard. The spices come across like incense mixed with deeply aromatic and smoky lapsang oolong tea. Exotic characters such as sandalwood, cocoa powder, sarsaparilla and cola elements top the roast meat and flinty, strawberry and cream palette of this wine. The lighter frame on this style is highly attractive and the intoxicating spices combine to create something highly exotic.

This is a smart wine. It feels very harmonious, there's fruit intensity but it's not *too* fruity, there's present oak but it's not *too* overpowering, there's spice and tannin but they're not *too* drying. Everything has been worked into this classy number in thoughtful moderation and the result is a wine greater than the sum of its parts. From the well known, hand-tended, vineyards of the Willunga sub-region of McLaren Vale, picked in the (widely lorded) year of 2021 - it's safe to say we were holding this one to a pretty high standard. Well, this wine exceeded even our lofty expectations. Juicy dark mulberry and black cherry, vibrant spiced plum and chocolate characters are expressed with both intensity and complexity. Subtle, but ever present, oak characters manifest themselves in slight chocolate and vanilla notes along with fine grained tannins and build to a silky, spice driven finish. Happy to sit in the cellar for 15+ years, but why delay happiness right?

Established in 1979, Paxton is a family owned wine company. Founder and owner, David Paxton is one of Australia’s most highly respected viticulturalists – a reputation built on managing and growing wine grapes of exceptional quality for over 30 years. The Paxton family have nurtured their own vineyards in McLaren Vale for three decades. Internationally recognised as one of Australia’s leading wine regions, McLaren Vale is renowned for the production of super premium quality wines – particularly red wines. This Mixed Organic Alternative Varietals Six Pack showcases Paxton's innovative Mediterranean varietals: 2 bottles of Paxton Tempranillo 2 bottles of Paxton Grenache 2 bottles of Paxton Graciano.

AROMA: Evoking notes of blackberry, ripe fig, and Arabic coffee. PALATE: It retains an unlikely softness given its serious long-term potential; its silky elegance is deceptive.