96-Points by Haliday Wine Companion (James Halliday)
Hand-picked, destemmed but whole berries, open fermented on skins 18 days, basket-pressed, only free-run juice, new and 1 year old Bordeaux barrels, aged 15 months. It's tempting to pour a glass immediately and savour it, for everything from the fruit, cedary oak, tannins to its acidity are in total balance. *Gold* 
 
95-Points by James Suckling.
A fresh and fragrant cabernet with violets and dark rose-like floras, cassis and blueberries. There is also a decent serving of spicy oak in the mix. The palate is smoothly arranged on sheets of formidably strong tannins, which are carried seamlessly into the finish. A stunning cabernet. Best from 2022
 
Chris Carpenter named Master Winemaker of the Year 2024, representing Mt. Brave and Hickinbotham Wines, took the top prize as db unveiled the new edition of the Master Winemaker 100. 
Carpenter, along with 99 other winemakers, features in the 2024 edition of the Master Winemaker 100. The volume, published by the drinks business, rewards the very best winemakers, as determined by the Global Wine Masters competitions in Paris.
Carpenter won that overall award in recognition of winning two Master medals at a single competition, the Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2023. This, a remarkable feat in itself, is all the more impressive given that they came from two estates on two different continents. Both the Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, made in Napa Valley, and Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, from McLaren Vale, secured the top medal.
 
Hickinbotham
First planted in 1971 to dry-farmed Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard sits in the hills of Clarendon, at the upper limit of Australia’s revered McLaren Vale winegrowing region. The vineyard historically produced fruit for many of Australia’s iconic producers like Penfolds, Hardy’s, and Clarendon Hills, and was not bottled under its own label until 2012. 
The confluence of the hills, ocean and ancient earth – the vineyard sits atop a 75 million-year-old geology – has a strong influence on the style of wines made here. Under the helm of winemakers Christopher Carpenter and Peter Fraser – and viticulturer Michael Lane – Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard employs organic and biodynamic farming practices to produce a range of highly distinctive and powerful red wines. Its flagship wine, The Peake, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz – a style that embraces a famous part of Australia’s winemaking history. It is complemented by a highly acclaimed lineup that has garnered attention from global critics and drawn eyes to Clarendon as a region producing some of Australia’s most celebrated wines.
 
South Australia
South Australia is one of the Australia's six states in the central south of the vast island continent. It is the engine room of the Australian wine industry, responsible for around half of the country's total output each year. 
The south-eastern corner of South Australia is significantly cooler and less arid than further north, which is simply too hot and dry for vitis vinifera vines to perform. The climate is moderated by two large gulfs, which bring the cool waters of the Southern Ocean hundreds of miles inland from the main coastline. Between the eastern side of the Gulf of St. Vincent (the smaller of these two) and the Murray River is a belt of green about 80km (50 miles) wide, clearly visible on satellite images. Here, the famous Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale vineyards are to be found.
 
McLaren Vale
The McLaren Vale wine region, in the north-west of Fleurieu Peninsula, is located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Adelaide. It is by far the most important wine-producing area in the Fleurieu zone and is also regarded very highly throughout Australia and the world.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.
Overall, the climate is Mediterranean, with fresh sea breezes helping to moderate temperatures during the growing season. Chilly winds from the hills also cool the grapes on specific vineyard sites, helping to retain acidity and structure.