The Wine Fairy

Happy #MerlotThursday, which is also Thanksgiving Day!

Today, I’m grateful for three things: Merlot, Australia’s McLaren Vale region, and those generous locker-holders at the wine club who are willing to pour you exquisite samples.

A rare single-vineyard Merlot was on the tasting table, the 2023 Hickinbotham “Revivalist.” After decades of supplying dry-farmed grapes for some of Australia’s top wines (including Penfolds Grange) the Clarendon Vineyard was acquired in 2012 by the Jackson family. At that point, it began to bottle wines under its own label. It’s best known for its Shiraz–which accounts for over half of the plantings–but it also grows Bordeaux varieties, including just over 5 hectares of Merlot.

We tasted this, the second vintage of Hickinbotham’s Merlot, after a half-hour decant. A mature and beguiling nose of shriveled plums, hoisin sauce, portobello mushroom, and bay leaf boils up from the glass like a secret-recipe basting sauce simmering on the stovetop.

But lest you think it’s all savory, the fruitiness shows up in full force on the palate. Juicy red plum, dried Bing cherry, purple carrots and red beets are all seasoned with a five-spice powder bringing liberal amounts of star anise, clove, and peppercorn.

Those aromas are truly outrageous, but the taste is no small thing, either. This medium-bodied wine packs some powerful flavor intensity and a long, toasty finish of cedar, walnut skins, and raisined currant and plum. (“Would you rather have aged complexity or fruit in your Merlot?” asks France. “Why not offer both, mate?” says Australia, flicking a screwcap in France’s direction.)

I had the opportunity to taste a lot of great wines this holiday week. Still, this was a bottle that stood out to me. I sipped just an ounce or two–and like I said, I’m grateful–but it wasn’t enough to suss out all the complex flavors in this single-varietal stewpot. At 12 years old, it’s (allegedly) inching past its advisable drinking window, but there’s still plenty of life left in this fascinating Merlot from one of Australia’s most acclaimed vineyards.

Bottle: Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard “The Revivalist” Merlot (2013) – McLaren Vale, Australia

Variety: Merlot (100%)

ABV: 14.5%

Suggested retail: $80

My rating: 9.4 (out of 10)

On Thursdays, we Merlot! See past #MerlotThursday reviews here.

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own. This week’s Merlot was tasted at Buon Vino Cellars in Plano, Texas.