Hewitson LuLu Shiraz 2020
- 93
- $26
- Drink by: 2022-2034
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From the Church Road Block in the Barossa, this is from vines some twenty years of age. The 2020 vintage has had some mixed reports, which seems unfair as there are many really good wines coming from it. What we have seen are wines which are perhaps a little more concentrated, powerful and even burly in comparison to some years. Nothing wrong with that. I suspect that many will last for a very long time in the cellar and perhaps the vintage will be re-evaluated in the years to come. If you are looking for quality reds to cellar, don’t ignore this vintage. And when a wine is such great value, why wouldn’t you want to squirrel away a few cases? This wine saw a mix of both whole bunches and crushed grapes, spending two weeks on skins before fifteen months in older French oak barrels. Opaque purple, this is tense and taut with notes of licorice, warm earth, chocolate, charcuterie and game. Quite a muscular style (very ’20), with abundant tannins. I’d be leaving it for at least two to three years before looking to open any, but then it will drink very well over the next ten to twelve. A powerful Barossa Shiraz (which seems odd for a wine called LuLu).
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
