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The wines of Hollick, Coonawarra, South Australia

Riddoch Highway, Coonawarra, SA 5263, Australia
Phone: (08) 8737 2318  Fax: (08) 8737 2952
E-mail: hollick@coonawarra.mtx.net.au
Website: www.hollick.com 

UK agent: Seckford (E-mail: pippa@seckfordwines.co.uk)

This 30 000 case winery was established in 1983. Coonawarra, a rather flat, featureless region in South Australia, has one trump card: its remarkable ‘terra rossa’ over limestone soil. This makes it a superb region for Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, although some success has been achieved with Shiraz and Riesling. As for Hollick’s wines, while the whites are OK, the reds are lovely, with some really attractive regional character.  These reds are rather more ‘terroir-driven’ than many from Australia.

Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2001
Fresh, lean nose with a grassy edge. Citrussy high-acid palate is fresh and crisp. Good/very good (£8.49 Great Grog)

Riesling 2000
Very intense nose is crisp and clean with a good concentration of lemony fruit on the palate. Very good (£7.99 Andrew Chapman, Great Grog)

Chardonnay 2000
Very richly fruited nose with some nutty complexity. Nice concentration of herby fruit with a fresh, high acid finish on the palate. Slightly awkward in the finish? Very good (£7.99 Andrew Chapman)

Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Classic nose with chalky, mineralic blackcurrant fruit. Lovely lush blackcurrant fruit on the palate with a delicious savoury mineralic character and some structure. Good concentration and great balance here. Very good/excellent

Cabernet Shiraz 2000 (Coonawarra/Great Western)
Deep coloured. Rich spicy nose showing dense berry fruit. Chunky, concentrated palate with a good density of fruit. Very attractive, showing spicy oak on the finish. Very good+

Pinot Noir 1999
Mid colour. Nice savoury edge to the cherry and herb fruit on the nose, with a bit of spiciness. Palate is quite rich and chunky with spicy savoury fruit and some tannins. No sweetness or jamminess to the fruit: a nice savoury food wine. Very good+ (2000 vintage is available from Andrew Chapman)

Wilgha Shiraz 1998
Forward spicy nose with exotic spicy berry fruit and new oak. Seductive palate shows spicy fruit but slightly high alcohol. Ambitious wine, perhaps a little too oaky? Very good+ (£14.99, Great Grog, La Reserve, Noel Young; 1999 is available from Andrew Chapman)

Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
A deep coloured, concentrated wine. Intense nose is quite complex with spicy, mineralic edge to the tarry blackcurrant and berry fruit. Taut, dense mineralic earthy edge to the fruit on the palate with some tannin and spicy oak. An impressive wine. Very good/excellent (£19.99 Andrew Chapman, Noel Young, La Reserve)

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wines tasted January 2002; article published September 2002