Hewitson ‘Old Garden’ Mourvèdre 2017
Grape Varietal: 100% Mourvèdre
Growing Region: Old Garden Vineyard, Barossa Valley - South Australia
Owner / Winemaker: Dean Hewitson
The Hewitson winery was established in 1998 and is situated in the heart of the Barossa Valley on the renowned Seppeltsfield Road and crafting wines from some of the oldest vines in the world. Their fruit is sourced from historic, dry-grown vineyards in the Barossa Valley and also single site vineyards in Eden Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. Dean deeply believes great wines are the expression of the soils they are grown in and the season in which they are grown. With his longstanding focus on terroir, balance, structure, concentration and typicity - with many of Deans’ wines being single vineyard expressions.
The ‘Old Garden Vineyard’ is acknowledged as the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world planted in 1853. The world's oldest known Mourvèdre vines have recently been named on a list of the top 10 vineyards in the world. Dry-grown, original existing vines pre-Phylloxera. Eight rows of these rare and unique vines remain to this day at Rowland Flat and produce the much-praised single vineyard wine bearing the ‘Old Garden’ name. The vineyard has been carefully hand-tended and dry-farmed by Friedrich Koch and his descendants across three centuries. 50% of the hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed after around 4 weeks in vats, extracting all that rich history and character. The wine was then transferred into new French oak barriques (sourced from a mix of 3 different forests) for 18 months maturation.
★ You are greeted by a rich garnet colour with a vibrant hue. This wine has a hypnotic aroma of wild forest berries, black cherries, violets, tobacco and dried herbs. The palate has depth and a luscious texture showcasing those rich dark fruits, berries and in equal measure dried herbs, subtle spices and cacao all wrapped in confident tannins and infused vanilla oak nicely containing all that concentration of flavour. This is a harmonious wine seamlessly expressing a very complex and multi-layered broad structure. While also having a touch of elegance, due a deft lift across the palate from balanced fruit acidity giving this engaging wine a dynamic lingering finish.
This 2017 Hewitson ‘Old Garden Vineyard’ Mourvèdre has 14% Alc./vol. Classic dry style. Decant for around 35-45 minutes and serve in a generously shaped red wine glass at 16°- 18°C. *NZ$99.99
CELLARING POTENTIAL: *(Review 5/8/22)
With mild-medium decanting approachable / drinking now, plus will repay another 10 - 12 years.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Perfect wine pairing with slow cooked lamb-shank served on a truffle mash, pappardelle with wild game and a rich wine-jus, along with well-seasoned earthy vegetarian cuisine, plus aged hard cheeses - enjoy.
