Hewitson Mother Vine Monopole Shiraz 2021 - Barossa Valley, South Australia

97/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
96/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
93/100 Ned Goodwin MW
Bronze - The Wine Front
98/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot (2020 vintage)
97/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
95/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)
95/100 Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (2020 vintage)
96/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
Bronze - The Wine Front (2020 vintage)
97/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot (2019 vintage)
96/100 James Suckling (2019 vintage)
96/100 Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review (2019 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2019 vintage)
97/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2018 vintage)
93/100 Ralph Kyte-Powell, Halliday Wine Companion (2018 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

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "Shiraz sourced exclusively from one 1853 shiraz vine in the middle of The Old Garden plot. Purple-splashed garnet in the glass with pristine fruit aromas of plum, blueberry and black cherry fruits, detailed and perfectly poised. Hints of baking spices, sage, bay leaf, olive tapenade, roasting venison, purple floral tones, mocha and earth. There's a chimera of wintergreen way back in the aroma scape. Graceful, comfortingly oaked with excellent concentration and red-fruited intensity. Savoury and so elegant in its travel, tannins powdery and sedimentary, sour cherry acidity and a finish that sails on. Beautiful."

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "Interesting origins for this super wine from a single vineyard wine that can be traced back to 1853. A single vine from that planting was nurtured over many years of harvesting buds and grafting to rootstock to create this wonderful single site. Has intensity but it sits more in the medium bodied zone. Alluring aromas of red currant and light plum with a little vanilla essence. The wine gently caresses the palate as it floats effortlessly to a sustained finish. Smooth integration of tannin with new and seasoned oak complemented by intriguing brick dust and chalk characters on the palate. Just beautiful."

Ned Goodwin MW "A rich wine of pliant density and impressive freshness. Clove, blue and darker fruit allusions, smoked meats and peppercorn, dousing the pushy finish. Wonderful, palate-staining extract. My gripe is the obtuse oak, lurking in the background from attack to drying finish. Time should do this wine favors, offering integration. Judged with optimism in mind."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep, dense red with a good purple tint, the bouquet is gumleafy and hints at bayleaf, green peppercorn and nutmeg, with some almond-meal touches that also permeate the palate. It's firm and bold, straightforward and a trifle tough. Cellaring is recomended"

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "Gosh, from the first sip, you want more. This is a single vineyard with the vines coming from a single Shiraz vine from the Old Garden Mourvèdre vineyard. The grafting process has enabled the creation of a clonal vineyard. It is super concentrated and intense with a slightly liqueur cherry and plum brandy concentrate thing happening. The palate comes to life with vibrant high energy fruit supported with a decent but balanced hit of oak. Distinctive and thoroughly engaging from the outset." (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "This has an attractive spiced blue fruit character with notes of plum skins, ground pepper, dried orange peel, crushed violets and tea leaves. Some wet soil, too. Medium- to full-bodied with ultra fine tannins and a chalky texture. Crunchy and succulent on the palate with cherries and blueberries. It has some salinity to it and notes of crushed stones to close. Delicate and polished finish. Planted in 1853." (2020 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "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" (2020 vintage)

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "The 'mother vine', a single 1853-planted shiraz vine in the middle of the Old Garden vineyard, provided the base for Hewitson's Monopole vineyard. Deep plum and black fruits cut with baking spices, roasting meats, tobacco pouch, vanilla bean, cedar, pan juices, dark chocolate and earth. Super savoury, meaty and intense with chocolatey tannins and a rich rum and raisin chocolate vibe on the opulent finish." (2020 vintage)

Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate "The 2020 Monopole Mother Vine Shiraz is sourced from a single vineyard, planted with the cuttings from one single pre-phylloxera Shiraz vine planted in 1853. This is an interesting concept. The vineyard was planted 30+ years ago, and as the roots grow deeper into the red loam and get into the limestone beneath, the potential for this wine grows as the roots do. The whole-bunch component feels pronounced on the nose here, but it gives a little light and shade to the dappled aromas of purple and red berries. Orange peel, dusted yellow spices, loquat, blackberry and licorice mingle in the mouth. There is dark chocolate through the finish. This is a lovely wine, with complexity and expansion in equal measure. 14% alcohol, sealed under Diam." (2020 vintage)

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "One of the most interesting wines. So, here’s the thing. It comes from a single one hectare vineyard at the winery with vine material sourced from one single shiraz vine in the Old Garden Mourvèdre vineyard. Using a grafting process, Hewitson has created a clonal vineyard directly linked to this old vine. The small bunches produce wine of wonderful concentration and intensity, yet with a suppleness and refined elegance. The wine is aged for 20 months in new and second use barrels but it is mostly about the fruit and that old vine. Bright and balanced, it has a chalky grainy mouthfeel that provides such appealing texture. A super wine with every glass interesting and engaging." (2019 vintage)

James Suckling "This is intensely floral with violets and dark roses, as well as very complex spices and blueberries. Whole-bunch influence is on full show here. Long and supple palate with spicy dark-plum and blackberry flavors. Try from 2026." (2019 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "The 'mother vine' (a survivor of an 1853 planting) provided the cuttings which Dean Hewitson patiently built up to the point where grape production reached commercial levels. The wine is medium-bodied, with blackberry and plum to the fore and oak unimportant. You are drinking clonal history."(2019 vintage)

Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review "A haunting nose of dark red raspberries, vanilla bean and smoked salumi entice you in. The nose builds with aromas of maraschino cherries and roses. On the palate raspberries and roses collide and a fine, bitter chocolate tail of tannins signs off. This is an elegantly styled shiraz with flair. Give it time to flex its glories, and it will become mother's milk" (2019 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "A clonal selection from a single vine planted in 1853, the subsequent plantings necessarily relatively young, but firing on all cylinders. It is a graceful wine with a silky texture, red and purple fruits foremost; the tannins superfine, the finish lingering, the aftertaste fresh. Lovely now or in 20+ years." (2018 vintage)

Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review "Deep, dense and purple-hued, this looks every bit the big red, and it is. But it's not just about power, there's detail as well. The nose is tarry, spicy and rich with slightly jammy berry fruit at its core. Notes of lavender, clove and chocolate add interesting aspects, and a hint of VA (volatile acidity) doesn't detract. The palate is rich and full with sustained flavour, velvet texture and ripe, fine-grained tannins underneath." (2018 vintage)

In early 2021, leading global publication Wine Enthusiast included Hewitson in its top 10 list of “Vineyards Behind the World’s Most Famous Wines” alongside heralded blocks in Burgundy, Champagne, Piedmont and Napa Valley.

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.

Shiraz, also known as Syrah is a popular red wine. Though the spiritual homeland of this red grape is France, Syrah has been planted throughout the world to great success. It expresses itself differently depending on the climate, soil and regional style.

Syrah is typically bold and full-bodied, with aromatic notes of smoke, black fruit and pepper spice. Stylistically, it can be round and fruity, or dense and tannic. And in warmer New World regions like Australia, Syrah is most often be called Shiraz.

Winemakers who work in cooler-climate growing regions, both in the Old World and New World, tend to call their wines Syrah. The most famous examples come from the northern Rhône Valley of France, notably Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. In the New World, in regions like Sonoma Coast, California; Yarra Valley, Australia; and parts of Chile, the wines are called Syrah because they emulate the leaner, acid-driven, savory styles of the Old World French classics.

Shiraz tends to come from warmer growing climates, namely the South Australian regions of Barossa, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Stylistically, these wines are lush, fruit-forward examples that embody the warmer, sunnier climate. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.