As Bec Hardy takes over ownership of the McLaren Vale winery in its 40th year, its ‘hero’ wine receives near perfect score

Just weeks after announcing she has taken over ownership of her father’s 40-year-old wine brand, Pertaringa, Bec Hardy, a sixth-generation member of the famous wine family is celebrating a near perfect score from Australia’s most influential wine critic. James Halliday this weekend afforded the 2017 vintage of the Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon with a 99-point score, a rarely bestowed near perfect result.

Halliday describes it as a ‘marvellous wine, fluid, juicy and vibrant, with a very long finish, the tannins a gossamer web.”

The Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon comes from what Halliday has previously referred to as a ‘pocketchief size’ single vineyard at the Blewitt Springs home of Bec Hardy and her husband, co-MD Richard Dolan, from where its name originates. The property was named after the rare Tipsy Hill Imperial Concubine rose, planted in the beautiful gardens by its previous owners.

Bec Hardy took the reins of Pertaringa from her father on 1 July 2020, as part of the family’s natural succession planning, making her the first woman in the famous Hardy wine family to own her own vineyard and produce her own wine. The family’s name became part of legend back in 1850 when her great-great-great grandfather, Thomas Hardy arrived from the UK, and went on to become widely known as the father of the South Australian wine industry.

Bec comments, “This 99-point score for our treasured Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is the icing on the cake in a month filled with milestones. Having taken over from my parents just a few weeks ago, it’s so rewarding that we can collectively share this honour. We know this wine is something special but having someone as revered as James Halliday agreeing with us is testament to the hard work of the viticulture and winemaking teams involved.

“It’s even more touching for us, knowing the grapes were sourced directly from the vineyard on our property, which we see as the natural home of Bec Hardy Wines. As we celebrate 40 years of Pertaringa, this 99-point score highlights what we have always worked towards achieving: to craft exceptional wines that truly reflect the special pocket of the world that is McLaren Vale.”

Along with the 99-point score for the 2017 Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, James Halliday also bestowed a 97-point score on the 2017 Yeoman Shiraz and a 95-point rating for the 2017 Pertaringa ‘Over the Top’ Shiraz.