Hollick The Bard Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon has lifted Coonawarra Cabernet flavours of bright fruit, well balanced with French oak. Classic Coonawarra flavours of lifted cassis fruit flavours, supported by subtle cedar and spice notes. A long finish with chalky tannins and a hint of cinnamon.

About the region and producer

Coonawarra is renowned as one of Australia's finest wine regions and is particularly known for producing world class red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. The rich red terra rossa soils over limestone, pure underground water and a long cool ripening season for the grapes produce wines of elegance and longevity.

In 1974 Ian Hollick purchased a piece of grazing land on the southern end of the Coonawarra district. This small block of land was one of the original allocations in the Coonawarra Fruit Colony which John Riddoch founded in 1890. It was never developed as a fruit block, but instead was the site of a tannery, and later a dairy farm.

In 1975 the Hollick's commenced developing this vineyard, progressively planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Ian Hollick's involvement with viticulture goes way back to his childhood in Mildura as the son of a soldier settler fruit blocker. After studying Agricultural Science at Dookie Agricultural College, and a tenure with Mildara Wines Coonawarra as National Vineyard Manager, Ian, along with Wendy, launched Hollick Wines in 1983.

The original slab cottage located on Neilson’s Block was restored and opened as the Hollick Cellar Door. This historic building remains at the entrance to Hollick Estates today. The heritage listed cottage dating back to the 1860’s was the reputed birthplace of famous lyric poet John Shaw Neilson. Cellar Door sales were carried out in the cottage until 2002 when a new cellar door sales area and restaurant (Upstairs at Hollick) were built to fulfil the demand for a winery restaurant in Coonawarra. The integration of old and new has been outstandingly successful making Hollick Estates a ‘must see’ in Coonawarra.

Hollick Estates launched onto the national and international wine scene by winning the 1985 Jimmy Watson Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show. Demand for the Hollick product was such that expansion was necessary, and in 1987 Ian and Wendy Hollick purchased the nearby "Wilgha" vineyard, to supplement their existing production. In 1998 the Hollick's developed their “Red Ridge” vineyard in the neighbouring region of Wrattonbully, adding further diversification and regional variation to the portfolio. Further plantings of Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Petit Verdot, and even more recently Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Barbera and Savagnin have also taken place.

Vineyard and Wine Making

The parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon selected from Hollicks Coonawarra vineyards for this wine are chosen for their approachability, while still maintaining the classic Coonawarra style which has made its Cabernet Sauvignons world renowned.

The BARD range celebrates the work of Australia’s best known lyric poet John Shaw Neilson who was raised in the cottage on the Hollick Neilson’s Block vineyard. Revered by his peers in the world of literature, Neilson was born in Penola in 1872, and it is thought that much of the imagery in his poetry was conjured up during his childhood experiences in the swampy bushland around Coonawarra. Vintage 2016 was early, with a warmer October advancing the whole season, such that flowering, veraison (start of ripening), and harvest dates were all a couple of weeks early. Despite the early season, the time taken for berry development and ripening were in line with normal, allowing adequate time for fruit to develop tannins and complexity. The fruit was picked at optimum ripeness and carefully handled to retain the flavours achieved in the vineyard. Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon typically yields flavours and aromas of dark berries, cherries, plums and other dark fruits. This wine is no exception and shows the Hollick style of producing wines. It also makes this wine an excellent accompaniment to food.