Hewitson The Mad Hatter Shiraz 2023
- 92
- $50
- Drink by: 2025-2033
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Recognisably, reassuringly, Barossa from the first scent of lifted Aussie bush notes, earth and bay leaf matched to ripe black fruits, anise and woody oak spice. The ’23 vintage was a tough one, wet and cool, so it is definitely reassuring to see The Mad Hatter in fine form with its usual mix of engaging warmth and concentrated flavour. The palate rolls out with depth, well-integrated, smooth and textural. Sweet fruited with briar, earth, chocolate and a dash of dried herbs and sage across the middle palate and you have some enjoyable drinking now with the added bonus of also hanging on to it for a while. Hard choice.
Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
