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Description
Brad Hickey (AKA Brash Higgins) is one of the most original and creative producers in McLaren Vale today.
Never content to simply walk the conventional road, Brad makes an eclectic and exciting range of wines that show a unique face of his home region, spanning textural, thought-provoking whites and bright, energetic reds.
In this pack you can sample the full set of new releases from Brad Hickey and Nicole Thorpe.
- 2024 Brash Higgins RIPPLE Nero Shiraz
- 2021 Brash Higgins MCC Mataro Cinsault Carignan
- 2022 Brash Higgins CINS Cinsault
- 2023 Brash Higgins FRNC Cabernet Franc
- 2023 Brash Higgins NDV Nero d'Avola
- 2021 Brash Higgins MRLO Merlot
2024 Brash Higgins RIPPLE Nero Shiraz
What started as a random idea at a Sydney tasting - pick whole-bunch Nero d’Avola, drown it in direct-pressed Shiraz juice, and let it ferment into something wild - has turned into one of the juiciest, most smashable reds in the Brash Higgins lineup.
For 2024, Cabernet has stepped aside in favour of Shiraz, bringing a new depth and vibrancy to the semi-carbonic fermentation. Whole-bunch Nero clusters were fully submerged under a wave of Shiraz juice, allowing fermentation to happen inside the berries, creating a wine that’s light, fresh, and packed with ripe, slightly candied red and blue fruits.
It pours a darkk garnet hue, with a nose of blueberries, wild strawberries, and a hint of musk. The palate is bright, juicy, and bursting with energy, with lively acidity and supple tannins making it perfect for a light chill.
Part ripple ice cream, part Grateful Dead reference, and part pure drinkability in a bottle, this is a playful, delicious take on Nero that disappears faster than you’d like. Limited as always - get in quick.
93 points
"Floral and lightly spicy, with a general cherry cola, Dr Pepper, sarsaparilla vibe. It’s predictably pale, a little herbal, with green peppercorn, young bay, violet, clove and ginger... Salumi, or pasta with tuna and olives, or grilled sardines agrodolce, or all … happy days."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
2021 Brash Higgins MCC Mataro Cinsault Carignan
Brad and Nicole from Brash Higgins have crafted something bright and dangerously drinkable with their 2021 MCC blend—a mix of Mataro, Cinsault, and Carignan that captures the sunny essence of McLaren Vale. This trio of Rhône varieties is here to show that the region is about more than just Grenache and Shiraz.
It all began in 2013 when Brash was asked what should be planted at a new vineyard. Their answer? Mataro, Cinsault, and Carignan—perfect for a climate reminiscent of Southern France. Grown in Michael Lennon’s sustainably farmed vineyard with cracking clay over limestone, this wine captures the earthiness and sun of McLaren Vale.
The 2021 MCC focuses on freshness and balance. The blend is dominated by whole-bunch Mataro, co-fermented with Cinsault and Carignan to achieve bright, peppery, and floral flavours. It’s supple, juicy, and easy-drinking, with cherry fruit from the Cinsault and a wild rose touch from the Carignan.
Mike Bennie called it a "super-slurper"—enough spice to keep you interested, but soft and supple enough for effortless drinking. Chill it down, share it with mates, and enjoy with something fun like yum cha. It’s Brash Higgins at its best—laid-back yet memorable, with just 13% alcohol and a lot of good times.
"I reckon you could say this is confidently styled as a just-shy of medium weight super-slurper, soft and sweet fruited, chillable (perhaps) red of easy drinking style. It doesn’t get out of second gear (enough complexity per se) or shape itself with an ideal of fancy tannin, but what’s hear is fragrant, gulpable, ribald red-blue-black fruited, spicy enough gear to please all comers and deliver an easy drinking experience. I’d love this with yum cha, was the word association that came to mind."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2022 Brash Higgins CINS Cinsault
This has been a popular recent addition to the Brash Higgins range. Following on from Brad's pursuit of freshness in Cabernet Franc, here he picks up the lesser-known Rhone variety Cinsault and runs a similar course.
There are few varietal Cinsaults in McLaren Vale where Shiraz and Grenache take the lion's share off attention for Rhone varieties, but with wines like this entering the fray, there may be a few more popping up before you know it.
It's fragrant, supple and smooth. In many respects, it's a perfect red for warmer weather that is begging for a chill.
Brad didn't make much so you'll need to be quick if you want to snap up some of this beauty for yourself.
92 points
"This has mojo. It’s lightish and fresh, sure, a little plushness, some riper forest berry fruits in the mix, but most of this is rose hip tea, cranberry and pomegranate juice and all the friskiness of spice, alpine herbs and anise. A delight! Geez, this drinks a treat, so bright, so fun, a quiet complexity, a cinch of generosity and sunshiney warmth amongst the more vibrant fruit, but sum of parts and we have a winner of a plush, soft, easy drinking red of great character."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Brash Higgins FRNC Cabernet Franc
Few wines in Australia have championed Cabernet Franc quite like Brash Higgins’ FRNC. From its first release, this wine has been at the forefront of the modern, fresh, and vibrant Cabernet Franc movement, proving just how exciting this variety can be in McLaren Vale’s unique terroir.
The 2023 vintage delivered ideal growing conditions with an even season and small berry set, leading to excellent concentration and balance. Sourced from a high ridge of an ancient sand dune in McLaren Flat, the fruit was handpicked, wild fermented, and left on skins for five weeks, before ageing for 15 months in old French oak to preserve aromatics and purity.
What we're left with in the glass is a translucent violet hue with a nose that leaps from the glass - jalapeño, alpine herbs, violets, and roasted bell pepper all swirl together, underpinned by rose petals and mulberry. The palate is silky and mouth-filling, with pure, ripe fruit, subtle spice, and papery tannins that glide into a long, smooth finish.
A Loire-inspired yet uniquely Australian take on Cabernet Franc, this is bright, fragrant, and dangerously drinkable - but with enough structure to age beautifully. It disappears fast every year, so don’t wait too long.
91 points
"This leads with a cool herbal thread, an aromatic spread of green pepper, bay, tea tree, green chilli, Worcestershire, tart blackberry and wild fennel. It’s lightly framed, supple through the palate, textural, a little saline, with that wild fennel note lingering through the finish, like chewing on the pleasingly bitter fresh seeds."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
2023 Brash Higgins NDV Nero d'Avola
When it comes to Nero d’Avola in Australia, Brash Higgins is the benchmark. Brad Hickey was the first to graft Nero in McLaren Vale back in 2009, and this 13th vintage proves just how well this Sicilian native has adapted to its adopted home.
The 2023 growing season was a wettish one, producing low yields and fresh acidity. The fruit was hand-picked in early March, after a warm and breezy February helped ease the ripening process. As always, the NDV is crafted with a deep respect for tradition - wild fermented and aged on skins for six months in locally made, beeswax-lined amphoras, allowing pure, unadulterated Nero character to shine.
Crimson-hued and beautifully aromatic, it’s full of mezcal, black cherry, tomato, Indian spices, and stem ginger, with that signature orange peel note adding complexity. The palate is pomegranate, dark raspberry, and morello cherry, balanced by refreshing sweet-sour acidity - almost like a Negroni in wine form. Fine tannins, savoury grip, and mouthwatering length make it impossible to put down.
A wild, textural, and utterly compelling Nero d’Avola, this is Brash Higgins at its best - and a must for fans of adventurous, amphora-aged reds.
93 points
"It’s medium weight, a little high toned but pretty easygoing for the style, with its savouriness and fresh finish making it a handy wine at table."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
2021 Brash Higgins MRLO Merlot
MRLO is a wine that aims to change some of the preconceptions of Australian Merlot.
This McLaren Vale grown fruit is fermented wild in clay amphora, settled, then aged in amphora for a further nine months. Brad also makes the addition of 15% Nero d'Avola for an extra bit of pep and funk turning this often maligned variety into something pretty unique.
It's not just creatively put together, it's also undeniably delicious. It's quite exciting to see Merlot so perfumed, so energetic and so more-ish.
Only 200 cases made.
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $31 to $40 |
| Type | Red |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | McLaren Vale |
| Australian State | SA |
| Size | 9 |
Brash Higgins
Brad Hickey AKA Brash Higgins - McLaren Vale, SA Brash Higgins
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