2023 Brash Higgins CHN Chenin Blanc

Brad Hickey—aka Brash Higgins—knows how to keep things interesting. The 2023 CHN Chenin Blanc is the ninth instalment of his ongoing adventure with this underappreciated variety, and it’s got all the hallmarks of a wine that’s ready to change your mind about Chenin Blanc.

Sourced from the 34-year-old Willamba Hill Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, this wine speaks of place like few others do. Nestled in those distinctive white beach sands of Blewitt Springs, the vineyard gives the CHN an almost oceanic charm. Think salt spray and coastal breezes - Hickey’s captured the sea in a bottle here, thanks to the influence of those marine fossils scattered through the vineyard’s sandy soils. It’s fermented wild in old French oak, aged for 12 months, and made with as little interference as possible to let the vineyard’s character shine.

And what character it has. This CHN is leesy, textural, and undeniably vibrant. Expect aromas of lemon verbena and ginger tea, with a juicy, tropical edge - papaya and quince make an appearance, adding a sense of lively charm to the glass. It’s got a salty, minerally backbone, almost as if you can taste the vineyard’s 50-million-year-old connection to Maslin Beach. There's a tension in every sip that keeps you coming back—think of it as a tropical cocktail with serious credentials.

With only 180 cases made, this is one for the curious drinker - someone ready to see just how delicious Aussie Chenin Blanc can be when it’s given the Brash Higgins treatment.

95 points
"From a deep sandy site planted in '91, this, as usual, spent a few days on skins before being pressed to older barrels to ferment; élevage of 12 months. A hazy pale gold in the glass, this, like the '22, packs a lot of flavour for the modest alcohol. Lemon myrtle, citron, waxy apple, grated ginger, lemongrass, quince, lemon barley water, quinine, dried chamomile, sea spray, cypress and lime curd. So many things. The palate is zesty, deeply textural but poised, with that ginger note feeling like it yields a spicy finish. An illusion perhaps, but a delightful one. It's another excellent release."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)