Clarendon's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color and is scented of blackberry preserves, warm plums, creme de cassis, spice box, chocolate and cloves. Very crisp acid and a medium-firm level of chewy tannins support the very full-bodied, ripe fruited palate, finishing long. Drink it now through 2014. No known USA importer.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Hickinbotham offers the most saturated color. The aromatics feature Asian spices, violets, and incense along with expressive black fruits. Structured and tannic, bordering on austere on the palate, it is a muscular, brawny effort that will require 6-8 years of cellaring to become approachable. In a sign of the times, pricing for Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills portfolio has been reduced by close to 50% across the board. Suddenly, most of the wines offer an excellent price to quality relationship. As usual, the Clarendon Hills wines are unblended, 100% varietal, sourced from mostly old-vine, ungrafted, single vineyards, fermented naturally, and bottled without fining or filtration. Only seasoned oak is used for the Grenache bottlings, 100% new French oak for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new French oak for the Syrahs depending upon the cuvee. There is a new addition to the portfolio, a Mourvedre sourced from 12 year old vines and aged in 2 year old French oak. The year 2007 was more difficult than the three that preceded it, marked by a 45-50% reduction in crop levels and elevated tannin from the resulting thick skins. As Bratasiuk notes, “Tight, drying tannin is the hallmark of the vintage.” Nevertheless, this is an impressive collection from one of Australia’s icon wineries.Importer: E & J Gallo, Modesto, CA; www.clarendonhills.com.au

Chewy and persistent on the finish, which marks this as a candidate for the cellar, this is a richly textured Cabernet from a top McLaren Vale site. It’s admittedly a bit charred in character, with hints of mocha and toast amid the cassis, but the fruit wins out in the end. Try 2015–2023.——J.C.(11/1/2010)—— 90