The Peake Cabernet McLaren Vale Shiraz

The 80ha Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard, in the high, northernmost part of McLaren Vale, was contour-planted by Alan Hickinbotham in 1971 and has since contributed cabernet sauvignon and shiraz to some of Australia’s most famous wines. Since 2012, under the ownership of the US-based Jackson Family Wines, it has also – deservingly – become a label or wine-name as well as a vineyard. This is the flagship, named after Clarendon’s founder, Sir Edward John Peake. It is typically a near-equal blend of the two varieties, with cabernet dominating slightly, and is matured in French oak. It is a luxurious style – seductive when young but with the underlying power to justify long-term cellaring.