2018 Hickinbotham ‘The Peake’ Cabernet Shiraz

99 Points - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
From vines planted in '71. Hand-picked, destemmed, fermented separately on skins for 18 days, matured for 15 months in high quality French barrels. The best shiraz and cabernet are selected to showcase this long-time Australian blend. If there's a better one, I haven't seen it. This is a beautiful wine, red and black fruits holding hands as they so brilliantly throw off the shackles of the hot vintage.

96+ Points Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front (February 2020)
This isn’t released until July 2020 but if Australian cabernet shiraz blends are to your liking then this release is worth jumping on as soon as you can. It’s a seriously good wine. Its volume and silken mouthfeel announce themselves from the first sip but then the long chains of tannin, tobacco and dust and floral-like highlights, and compelling length serve to seal a quite wonderful deal. This is hearty, full-bodied Australian red wine in all its glory. It’s built on redcurrant, plum, blackcurrant and cloves and the mouthfeel/length combination here is really quite something. Drink 2022 - 2040+

97 Points Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (February 2021)
Hickinbotham's flagship 2018 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz checks in as a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Shiraz. Aged in 50% to 60% new French oak, the Shiraz component is drawn from the "drippings"—not the free-run that comes off the skins immediately, but not pressings, either. The two varieties complement each other, with the Shiraz adding richness of texture—a certain lushness and velvety feel that the pure-Cabernet Trueman is missing. Cassis and raspberry notes combine with hints of cedar and vanilla, mint and dried spices. Medium to full-bodied, this is velvety, rich, long and complete, just a joy to drink. Drink 2021 - 2035

From the Producer:
Named after the late Mr. Edward John Peake who established the first vineyard and orchard at Clarendon circa 1850. Blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz is a famous part of Australian winemaking history and whilst the individual components of this wine are mighty, the sum of The Peake’s parts is magnificent. The Cabernet shines aromatically with notes of blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate and provides majestic, long tannin structure. Shiraz fills the mid-palate with red berry, blackberry and plum flavours and lightens and elevates the Cabernet just perfectly. Fine tannins, balanced acidity and an incredibly long finish are the hallmark characters of the vineyard that epitomise this, the estate’s flagship wine.