Hewitson 'Strawberry Hill' Shiraz 2023 ($150 @ Cellardoor)
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"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 and 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
"This wine only appears in the best vintages. This is a superb and finely crafted example of Barossa Valley Shiraz. The nose exhibits notes of chocolate, licorice, coffee beans, cassis and mocha. The oak has been expertly handled and the structure is seamless with a satiny, dense texture, leading to silky tannins. There is impeccable balance and great length to this wine. A gorgeous and stunning Shiraz with twenty years great drinking in its future." 95pts | Ken Gargett | Wine Pilot
"Deep, dark, brooding red-purple colour; the first aromas are vegetal, suggesting some whole-bunch treatment, behind which surges blackberry and cassis, sweet and superbly ripe, with flecks of white pepper and floral nuances. The wine is full bodied but also elegant, light on its feet despite its heft, finishing with flourishes of licorice and pepper/spice, the tannins abundant but powder-fine and supple. Superb shiraz of long-term potential." 96pts | Huon Hooke | The Real Review
"Fresh blackberry pastille, raspberry fruits with lovely mocha, roasted chestnut, dried roses notes. Smooth and velvety textured wine with lovely pure blackberry, raspberry fruits, fine loose knit textures, underlying roasted chestnut, marzipan notes and persistent quartz-like freshness. Builds up cedar, hint leafy firm with chinotto/ dark chocolate/ bittersweet nuances. A beautifully balanced wine with super definition, vinosity and flow." 96pts | Andrew Caillard MW
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