Hewitson "Old Garden" Mourvèdre 2006 – Barossa Valley, South Australia

95/100 The Wine Front
94/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
92/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review
92/100 Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
91/100 CellarTracker
90/100 Jeremy Oliver

95/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2005 vintage)
92/100 Jay S Miller, The Wine Advocate (2005 vintage)
92/100 Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast (2005 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2004 vintage)
90/100 Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate (2004 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2003 vintage)
92/100 Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate (2003 vintage)

Bronze - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2005 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Enthusiast (2004 vintage)
Bronze - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2004 vintage)


5 Star Winery - James Halliday
James Suckling Top 100 Top Value Wine 2020
James Halliday Top 100 Winery 2017
10 Vineyards Behind The World's Most Famous Wines - Wine Enthusiasts

Gold - Paris Wine Cup 2023
Gold - Paris Wine Cup 2022
Gold - Paris Wine Cup 2021
Gold - Paris Wine Cup 2020

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "A somewhat idiosyncratic wine that creeps up on you by progressively building flavour and structure through the length of the palate with spicy and pleasingly sour (sour cherry perhaps) notes."

Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate "I'm happy to report that Hewitson's 2006 Old Garden Mourvedre, from a vineyard planted around 1853 and last reviewed in February 2009, is still looking formidable. Dusty and earthy, with dark plummy fruit, cola and hints of tree bark, it's medium to full-bodied, with supple tannins and a long spicy-chocolaty finish."

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "Medium-bodied, yet endlessly complex; has the dark fruits and the fine, savoury tannins which the variety is supposed to have, but which in Australia often seems to lack. The plantings are believed to be the oldest in the world. Even in the 1880s the vineyard was called "The Old Garden"; (Garden being the then name for vineyard)." (2005 vintage)

Jay S Miller, The Wine Advocate "The 2006 Mourvedre “Old Garden” is purple-colored with an enticing aroma of cedar, Asian spices, damp earth, game, and plum. Medium to full-bodied, it is dense and packed, with layers of savory flavor and ripe tannins." (2005 vintage)

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast "From vines more than 150 years old, this shows an unusually lush texture for Mourvèdre. Starts with a potpourri of spices, like cinnamon, clove and cola, then adds vanilla and black cherry flavors before ending with a flourish of coffee and tree bark. Long and velvety on the finish." (2005 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "Medium red-purple; sweet red and black fruits akin to grenache, the structure quite different; in fact, the tannins are very well-handled and refined, running through a long finish. Fault-free. Precious wine inheritance from vines planted in 1854." (2004 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Drinkable and enjoyable, and a varietal wine that you just don't run across often. Aromas are of dried plums and dates, with peanut and eucalyptus. Juicy on palate entry, its plum fruit round and pretty on the palate. Dry on the finish." (2004 vintage)

Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate "Allegedly the oldest Mourvedre vines in South Australia are those planted in Hewitson’s Old Garden Vineyard. The 100% Mourvedre 2004 Old Garden possesses great intensity and slightly rustic tannins that are clearly matched by the wine’s flesh and extract. Its deep blue/purple hue is accompanied by notes of plums, blueberries, dusty earth, truffles, and spice. Powerful, full-bodied, rich, and long, it should be consumed over the next decade." (2004 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "Scented, highly fruity varietal aromas and flavours; relies more on elegance than power or extract; delicious now. From 1853 vineyard plantings." (2003 vintage)

Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate "One of Australia’s finest Mourvedres is Hewitson’s Mourvedre Old Garden (from a vineyard planted in 1853). Although the 2003 came in just a notch below the inspirational 2002, it remains serious stuff. Concentrated, dense blueberry, floral, truffle, and damp earth aromas soar from the glass of this broodingly backward wine. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, powerful, tannic, and a bit gnarly, but impressively-endowed." (2003 vintage)

Australian Wine Companion "Established in 1998 Hewitson winery is situated in the heart of the Barossa Valley on the historic Seppeltsfield Road and boasts some of the oldest vines in the world. Hewitson fruit is sourced from historic, dry-grown vineyards in the Barossa Valley and also from single-site vineyards in Eden Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills."

Frederick Wildman "Dean Hewitson founded his eponymous winery in 1998. He is a highly respected Australian winemaker ...Hewitson has worked at wineries in Australia, France, Italy and Oregon. Hewitson then moved to the U.S. where he earned a Masters from UC-Davis. On his return home, Dean brought a wealth of knowledge, practical experience and a driving passion to produce wines not only from Barossa Valley but also from the McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills regions.

Hewitson fundamentally 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—specific terroir plots in fact—many of Hewitson’s wines are single vineyard. He sources grapes from not only his own vineyards but also from long-standing grower contracts including a few sourced from some of the oldest living, still productive vines on plots that date back to the mid-19th century and are pre-phylloxera. His ‘Old Garden’ Mourvèdre is a single-vineyard wine, whose vines were planted in 1853 in Barossa Valley and are reputed to be the oldest Mourvèdre vines in the world. Hewitson’s ‘Miss Harry’ is sourced from a Grenache vineyard planted in 1880, also thought to be the oldest Grenache in existence.

Due to Hewitson’s education and experience in Australia, California and France, Hewitson wines combine Old-World traditions with New-World fruit purity. And while he clearly excels with Rhône Valley grape varieties, Hewitson also produces award-winning Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. A practitioner in solar energy, water recycling and encouraging natural biodiversity, Hewitson produces wines in an environmentally sustainable fashion."

James Halliday "Dean Hewitson was a winemaker at Petaluma [one of Australia's leading wineries] for 10 years, during which time he managed to do three vintages in France and one in Oregon as well as undertaking his Masters at the University of California, Davis. It is hardly surprising that the wines are immaculately made from a technical viewpoint. Dean sources 30-year-old Riesling from the Eden Valley and 70-year-old shiraz from McLaren Vale; he also makes a Barossa Valley Mourvedre from vines planted in 1853 at Rowland Flat, and Barossa Valley Shiraz and Grenache from 60-year-old vines at Tanunda."

The Barossa Valley is an extremely important wine-producing region within the Barossa zone of South Australia, particularly associated with powerful red wines from the red wine grape variety Shiraz. A prestigious and internationally renowned region, it is not only home to some of the oldest vineyards and wineries in Australia but produces some of its most recognizable and sought-after brands. A striking feature of the Barossa Valley's wine landscape is the presence of very old vines, proudly showcased on many wine labels and during vineyard tours.

Mourvedre is a black-skinned variety that has been grown in vineyards all around the western Mediterranean for centuries. Thought to have originated in Spain, it is now grown extensively throughout the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, California and South Australia. Single-variety Mourvedre or Monastrell wines are not particularly common, but as the curiosity of the average wine consumer increases, so more and more producers are experimenting with making wines from 100 per cent Mourvedre.