Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre 2021

"Dean Hewitson was a winemaker at Petaluma for 10 years, during which time he managed to do vintages in France and one in Oregon, as well as undertaking his master's at the University of California, Davis. The wines are immaculately made from a technical viewpoint. Dean sources old-vine mourvèdre from Friedrich Koch's Old Garden vineyard, planted in 1853 at Rowland Flat, as well as shiraz and grenache from (up to) 110yo vines in Tanunda and riesling from 30+yo vines in the Eden Valley. Cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, mourvèdre and muscat blanc are estate grown." Halliday Wine Companion

Hewitson is a member of Sustainable Wine Growing Australia - a national program for producers, committed to making wine sustainably.

"Old dry-grown vines are rare in the world of wine and we are indeed fortunate that we can and do claim these as ungrafted. Growing in deep sandy soils, free of pests and diseases these old vines are strong, resilient & true to type. With red-ripe berries and golden-ripe stalks the grapes were picked at optimum ripeness, destemmed and gently crushed leaving some whole berries intact then fermented in open vats with heading down boards for three weeks, pressed then matured in old French barriques on lees for fifteen months. After this maturation period the wine was carefully racked and bottled as an exclusive cuvée." Dean Hewitson

"Dean Hewitson is the custodian of the oldest mourvèdre vineyard in the world, planted 1853. That's bonkers, right?! The aromatic profile is compelling, magnetic. There is the impression that there's something special going on here. Gentle red and dark berry fruits flow from the glass along with a cornucopia of spice, dried herbs, charcuterie, clove, rhubarb, pressed flowers, leather, cedar, pepper and earth. Travels like silk, like the smoothest bearings you can imagine. Seamless. Long, woodsy, meaty and without peer when it comes to mourvèdre in this country. Superb." 97pts | Dave Brooks | Halliday Wine Companion