Dean Hewitson does it again with a smashing set of reds perfect for the chilly weather, now and for the future!
Hewitson Truffle Row Carignan Syrah 2021 – RRP: $30 – 92pts
Carignan is still relatively unknown in Australia but is destined to become a much more popular variety due to its ability to thrive in hot and dry conditions whilst retaining acidity; ideal for our Aussie ever-changing climate. A rugged, savoury grape that has already been a component of the Miss Harry blend for many years, carignan appears here for the first time as the majority variety at 85%, with syrah making the final 15%. It adds subtle, earthy notes of dusty tar and leather to the ripe fruits-of-the-forest red & blue berries of syrah, with a ripe, soft texture that grows to meet spice, acidity and chewy grip, with that savouriness continuing onto the palate. It’s a meaty mouthful all right, with a savoury finish perfect for a lamb chop.
Hewitson Miss Harry Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2021 – RRP: $30 – 93pts
Everyone’s favourite go-to Barossa blend, the Miss Harry GSM is grown from a range of vines aged up to 75 years old, and has a plush and gorgeously ripe fruit-driven cherry and red berry nose due to some whole bunch vinification; and there’s vanilla oak and rhubarb crumble too, and Ribena blackcurrant aromas on top of notes of pepper and chocolate. It’s smooth and ripe, with a sweet and sour play of fruit versus acidity keeping everything bright and focussed, and finishes with a savoury tannin grip. It’s a classic for a reason!
Hewitson LuLu Shiraz 2020 – RRP: $28 – 92pts
From twenty-five-year-old vines planted at Rowland Flat, in the cool end of the Barossa Valley, the new LuLu Shiraz is chockful of savoury and concentrated dark-berried fruit, with a creamy and textural mid-palate, tang for acidity and grip, and a finish reminiscent of the flavours of those little French liquorice cashou lollies. Oui, oui LuLu!
Hewitson The Mad Hatter Shiraz 2020 – RRP: $50 – 94pts
A selection of the best Shiraz vineyards from 2020, matured in one and two-year-old French barriques, the Mad Hatter seems fit to burst with ripe black cherries, blackberries and bramble aromas up front, with a vanilla richness in the background. Intense and savoury with oak influence, and finishing with almighty grip. Powerful!
Hewitson The Ancients Shiraz 2020 – RRP: $50 – 96pts
From a single vineyard above Rowland Flat, and vines from cuttings assembled over generations of winegrowers, The Ancients is a multitude of red & blue fruits overlying a sanguine and steely savouriness. This is a smooth and velvety wine, intense with ripe fruit, and that gorgeous tang of acidity, before finishing on a rise of dusty tannins. Has balance and poise, and a delicious length.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2019 – RRP: $88 – 94pts
The Old Garden vineyard, planted in 1853, is the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world, with every dry-grown vine an original pre-phylloxera planting. The 2019 is a conundrum of a wine, with blood and spice versus whole bunch-led jubey red fruits, sweetness from vanilla and notes of tropical coconut. The palate is initially ripe and sweet, and then the balance of acid and tannin kicks in with gumption. The palate is cedary and chewy, influenced by fermentation and maturation in new French oak barriques. This wine needs time in the cellar to fully bloom, but even now it’s a taste of history in every mouthful.
Hewitson Monopole Shiraz Mother Vine 2019 – RRP: $150 – 98pts
From a single vineyard cloned from one lone ‘mother’ vine found in the Old Garden vineyard planted in 1853, the Hewiston Monopole Shiraz is a delicious drop; smooth and supple, with an intensity of bright fruit resulting from partial whole bunch; blackberries, black cherries and blueberries, complete with notes of herbal leaf, oolong tea and vanilla. The palate is smooth – a feature of all of Dean’s wines – but with a slightly saline edge, savoury intensity midway, and structural acidity. The wine is long, with a decidedly grippy finish, and whilst drinking beautifully now will repay time in the cellar.
Hewitson Barrel 1853 Shiraz Mourvèdre 2019 – RRP: $450 – 99pts
An equal blend of the best barrels of the 2019 Monopole and Old Garden Mourvèdre wines, the Barrel 1853 is a wine of intrigue and complexity, multilayered with the aromas of jasmine & rose petal over orchard-ripe red cherries and black plums, with dried orange peel, cinnamon bark, liquorice and red confectionery, and that tell-tale savoury tea leaf note. Dean Hewitson’s velvety smoothness excels here, but at the same time the wine’s acidity, balanced against the ripe, all-consuming fruit weight and vanillin oak, creeps up like a fast-growing vine in a children’s storybook. This is built to go the distance with firm but flowing tannins and a dry and spice-laden, lengthy finish. Serious wine at a serious price.
