Hewitson Cask 66 Shiraz 2023

A special release from winemaker Dean Hewitson, the titled “66” referring to his winery address on the fabled Seppeltsfield Road, mid Valley floor, while the noted “Cask” is more aligned to his maturation program and detailed barrel selection. This shapes the wine into best of the best territory, top grade Barossa Shiraz resting in French oak oak “casks” for 18 months, resulting in a supremely finessed, singular expression where the fruit and oak marriage is everything, just a glimpse of smoky bacon, just a faint whiff of eucalypt, all expertly woven and expressed with a contemporary vitality in the palate, seasoned generously with a black pepper spice character, concluding in an elite wrapping of gastronomic Amaro-like bitterness. A good airing or decanter is worth the effort for this to step further into the stratosphere.