Highbank Wine & Accommodation

Wining Pro: 1999 HIghbank 'Coonawarra'

Highbank is a small (1000 cases) Coonawarra producer who remains somewhat unheralded,a matter which, on the evidence of this wine, is entirely unjustified. At six years of age this looks very young, and throws off an impressive array of primary aroma's including anise, tar, mint, earth and red/black fruits.

On the palate it is quite seamless, with an impressive middle palate that stamps it as a Cabernet of class. It is intense, powerful and very long with that unique regional mint character, and whilst it still needs a few more years to fully hit its straps, a good decant does wonders right now.

One of the very best Coonawarra Cabernet's in recent memory, and one that will only get better over the next 3-5 years.

Type: Cabernet Blend
Year: 1999
Price: $50
Points: 94+
Drink When: 2007-2015

Who is The Wining Pro? Well, he's former touring Professional Golfer, Grant Dodd, a member of the Australasian PGA TOUR and the PGA of Australia since 1993. Grant has also at various times been a member of the European Tour(1999- 2002) and Asian Tour (1997-1999) , winning the 1999 Slovenian Open on the European Challenge Tour. Grant was an exempt player on the Australasian Tour from 1994 to 2004. A winner of over twenty pro-ams throughout Australia, he also competed with distinction in both the 1997 and 1998 British Open Championships, at Royal Troon and Royal Birkdale respectively. Playing in the City of Sydney Pro-am in 1995, Grant found
himself partnered with none other than the doyen of the Australian wine industry, Len Evans, AO OBE. That chance meeting provided the stimulus for an interest in wine to flourish, aided and abetted in no small way by regular excursions to Evans' well stocked cellar! Injuries (knee,wrist and back) dictated that Grant look for an alternative occupation, so at the beginning of 2005 he began to concentrate on the media and the wine industry. Since July 2003, he has been the wine writer for Australia's biggest selling golf magazine, Australian Golf Digest, taking over from Len Evans. He also contributes regular articles to the publication about life on tour. In addition to his writing, Grant is a part of the FOX Sports golf commentary team. He is also an accomplished public speaker, having entertained numerous corporate functions with his observations of life on tour as a professional golfer.

 

New York Sun: 2001 Highbank 'Coonawarra'

‘A Mighty Mouse Among Lions’

HIGHBANK COONAWARRA PROPRIETARY RED 2001 ($44.95)

A fresh minty note on the nose, then pure and stylish plum and chocolate notes in the mouth. If you've been put off by Australian wines that come on too foursquare, this elegant red will restore your faith. A Bordeaux blend of
cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. (At Morrell, 212-688-9370.)

Highbank is starting to appear in the right places. They're on the shelves of such high profile wine shops as Morrell at Rockefeller Center and Whole Foods at the Time Warner Center. They're served at top-end restaurants including Daniel, Artisanal, and Masa. Just-opened Yumcha, the buzzy Asian fusion restaurant in Greenwich Village, will shortly inaugurate a wine list that omits such standards as red Bordeaux and California Cab but includes Highbank.

In Atlantic City, the foodie-friendly casino Borgata pours Highbank wines, as do the Breakers and Four Seasons in Palm Beach. In all wines are in more than 60 East Coast restaurants.

 

Robert M. Parker Jr: 1998 Highbank 'Coonawarra'

This superb, opaque, purple-coloured, high-class blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc, has brilliantly absorbed its ageing in 100% new French oak.

The wine is classy, pure, and as my tasting notes opined, "the Leoville Las Cases of Australia?"

With gorgeous black cherry and black currant flavours intermixed with lead pencil, vanillin, and mineral, medium to full body, high tannin, and superb delineation, it will benefit from 1-2 years of cellaring and drink well for 15-16.

This is another candidate for inserting into a blind tasting of top class Bordeaux to see how it fares.

 

The Advertiser: 1998 Highbank 'Coonawarra'

The Advertiser, Adelaide - Food and Wine - Top 100 Wines

(92++ points; $44; 13.5 percent alcohol; drink 2005 to 2012)

WILD aniseed, mint and forest vines introduce this baby. These greens vibrate on top as the smoother, softer, chocolate and blackcurrant flesh grows deliciously below. After that early-opening frenzy, it becomes apparent that the wine has a lovely subdued structure, settling in for the long haul. The oak is smoky, subtle, spicy and supportive. Overall, it’s elegantly balanced and ready to go - it simply needs lots of calm cellar.

 

Washington Post: 1996 Highbank 'Coonawarra'

"Explosively aromatic and supremely complex, this is an exemplary indication of what can be achieved in the blessed Coonawarra apellation" - Michael Franz, Washington Post, July 1999

 


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Contact Highbank today!

Phone: +61 8 8736 3311
Australia Toll Free Call: 1800 653 311
Email: winemaker@highbank.com.au


 

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If wine means everything to you, then heaven on earth is in Penola! Highbank Wines is nestled deep in the heart of the Coonawarra and produces single estate wines that perfectly showcase terra rossa-influenced terroir, making them sought after by wine lovers all over the world. Organic vineyard operations, French oak, and decades of Limestone Coast winemaking experience, means Highbank Wines are a must for your cellar. For the full immersion experience, come and stay on the Vineyard in one of three romantic guest retreats for an escape into the realms of pure Bacchanalian indulgence in the South East of South Australia, halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide!

Highbank Wine & Accommodation