Description
(Source: Dean Hewitson Youtube)
TASTING NOTE
SENSORY
Colour: Medium red with a crimson hue.
Aroma: Lifted forest berry, black cherry and orange peel
Palate: Black cherry, chocolate, mocha, orange and spice; fully integrated tannins
ANALYSIS
pH: 3.61
Acid: 6.1g/L
Sugar: 0.2g/L
AGEING
22 months new French oak barriques (Remond: Allies, Troancais and Betranges forests)
VINEYARD
The Old Garden Vineyard planted 1853, the oldest Mourvedre vines on Earth
ALTITUDE
210m
SOIL
2 metres of sand over limestone; an ancient lake bed
VINE AGE
Every vine is the original 1853 planting; 165 years
PLANTING SYSTEM
Old low trellis system
VINE DENSITY
2,000 per Ha
FARMING
Dry-land, unirrigated, rye grass between rows,hand pruned
YIELD
3.1 tonnes/Ha. 2.3HL/Ha
VINIFICATION
43% whole bunch. In vat for 28 days
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS
2021 Ned & Henry’s Shiraz
92 points – Stuart Knox, TheRealReview.com – June 2023
Medium to intense ruby red colour. Mulberry and violet aromatics. Ample weight with plush purple fruits, dried herbs and a floral note that brings further appeal. tannins remain in the background, but they have enough intensity to ensure the finish is still dry. Very appealing wine.
93 points – Dave Brookes, WineCompanion.com.au – June 2023
A wonderfully fragrant and juicy shiraz from Dean Hewitson. Packed with super-ripe plum and dark cherry fruits with hints of exotic spice, violets, jasmine, licorice, dark chocolate and earth. There’s a nice sense of fruit purity and detail on the palate, tannins all powdery and sexy, the cadence crisp and clear and a sense of harmony on a finish that shows some nice sustain for the price.
2021 The Mad Hatter Shiraz
95 points – Stuart Knox, TheRealReview.com – June 2023
Opaque core into a deep ruby and purple rim. Blood plum, liquorice and violet aromas leap from the glass. Lovely full weight and density as it glides across the tongue. Dark fruits, anise spice and graphite undertones all meld well to ensure character and interest. Tannins are supple yet amply powerful for the job at hand, driving it long and lingering to the finish. A lovely balance of Barossa intensity with winemaking vitality.
94 points – Dave Brookes, WineCompanion.com.au – May 2023
Deep crimson in the glass with classic aromas of satsuma plum and summer berry fruits layered with baking spices, licorice and dark chocolate. Nary a hair out of place on the palate with impressive fruit purity and a harmonious, dark savoury flow to the wines form; powdery tannin in support with a minerally driveline.
2020 Monopole Mother Vine Shiraz
95 points – Stuart Knox, TheRealReview.com – June 2023
Deep and dense ruby from core to rim. Rich and intense nose of mulberry, violets, and black olive tapenade. Palate brings a huge intensity of fruit yet with a deft touch that brings life and vibrancy as well. Roses, plums, nori, and black olive all meld across the palate ensuring there’s multiple facets that capture your attention whilst fine sandy tannins bring drive, focus and a great deal of length. Many years ahead of it.
2019 Barrel 1853
96 points – Dave Brookes, WineCompanion.com.au – June 2023
An equal split of the best barrel of Hewitson’s Monopole shiraz and the Old Garden mourvèdre. Aged for 24 months in a mix of new and seasoned French oak barrels. What a beautiful smelling wine. The aromatic composition is on song, both rich and pure with deep plum a macerated black fruits with exotically spiced nuance. It’s earthy and multi-layered with a gorgeous fruit flow and presence and trademark savouriness. Tannins, fine and powdery, resolve nicely into the wine as the fruit slowly sails off into the distance.
