Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard
Hickinbotham’s Clarendon Vineyard has been under vine since the mid-1800s when it was in the capable hands of Sir Edward John Peake who was one of the first exporters of Australian wine to Calcutta, Java, New Zealand, and England.
During the Great Depression much of the estate’s vineyards were uprooted and it wasn’t until several decades later that the property was revived at the hands of the Hickinbotham family. Wine educator Alan Hickinbotham purchased the property for $54,000 and many years the estate supplied top quality fruit to prestigious Australian producers like Penfolds for their iconic Grange wine.
Since 2012 winemaker Christopher Carpenter has been at the helm of this historic vineyard and has helped lead the property in a new direction. This has included the creation of the Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard in honour of the family who played a key role in developing this exceptional grape-growing site.
Hickinbotham’s flagship bottling is The Peake which takes its name from Sir Edward John Peake who developed the original Clarendon vineyard. Produced from the finest fruit from the legendary Clarendon Vineyard, this magnificent Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blend has a cult following amongst fine wine collectors and enthusiasts.
The vines used for The Peake date back to 1971 and are planted at 220-230 metres above sea level. This helps to ensure plenty of ripe fruit character balanced by acidity and a well-defined structure which will help the wine to age gracefully over the next couple of decades. As just 135 cases are produced each vintage, the very limited availability and exceptional quality make this a wine to watch for investors.