McHenry Hohnen Hazels Vineyard Zinfandel 2021 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

91/100 The Real Review, Huon Hooke
95/100 Halliday Wine Companion, Erin Larkin (2020 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2020 vintage)
91/100 The Real Review, Huon Hooke (2020 vintage)
95/100 Halliday Wine Companion, Erin Larkin (2019 vintage)
95/100 The Real Review, Stuart Knox (2019 vintage)
95/100 Halliday Wine Companion, James Halliday (2017 vintage)

5 Star Winery - James Halliday

"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"

The Real Review Huon Hooke "Deep-ish red with a good purple tint, and aromas of assorted spices, a kiss of smoky oak and sundry berry fruits. Medium-full bodied. Delicious wine, bright and fruit-driven: all the component parts in the right place."

Halliday Wine Companion, Erin Larkin "This is quite possibly, the prettiest, most balanced, and most satisfying zinfandel in WA this year. Bitter chocolate, raspberry drops, hints of tar, a touch of licorice and star anise, and all of it shaped by dark, toasty oak. A triumph of diversity here, from red dirts, crushed rocks, gravel, exotic spice and campfire, through to lush blackforest fruit. Another triumph for the Hazel's vineyard and the hand that shaped this wine." (2020 vintage)

The Real Review, Huon Hooke "Deep, bold red-purple colour; walnutty aromas dominate the berry and spice fruit notes at first. The wine is very firm and full-bodied, the gripping tannins running the full length of the palate and lingering persistently on the very drying aftertaste. There is depth and concentration, but it really needs more time. It can be enjoyed now with hearty, protein-rich foods but will probably reward cellaring with more complexity and softness. " (2020 vintage)

Halliday Wine Companion, Erin Larkin "...This is a cracker of a wine with balance, elegance and spice. It's got plushness and depth too, though.....Lodi clone, from Western corner of Hazel’s vineyard. Whole-berry ferment in concrete, 10 days on skins, pressed to seasoned American and French hogshead for 16 months. Wow – what a nose! An abundant spread of forest fruits; mulberry, raspberry, blackberry, five-spice and clove. Licorice and cocoa. The texture on the palate is chalky, the tannins soft but omnipresent." (2019 vintage)

The Real Review, Stuart Knox "Deep ruby and purple highlights. Blackberries, bitter chocolate and roast coffee bean aromatics. Big and bold on entry, dark fruits wash around the palate with vigour until a steadying hand of gravelly tannins brings control and drive. With that drive layers of earthy spices, bitter herbs sweet mocha notes become apparent. The structure carries great length and finishes dry and aromatic. I'm reminded more of Italian primitivo than American zinfandel." (2019 vintage)

Haliiday's Wine Companion, James Halliday "... - this is a lovely wine at a lipsmacking price...Fully destemmed, short cold soak, matured in used American hogsheads. Excellent colour ... Its polished displays of cherries leaves no room for doubt..." (2017 vintage)

Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen, and his brother-in-law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focus on crafting site expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.

Margaret River is one of the best known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined cabernet sauvignon and intensely citrusy chardonnay varieties, the region now produces high quality Semillon-Sauvignon blends and Shiraz.

Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.

Zinfandel is a dark-skinned red wine grape variety widely cultivated in California. It arrived in the Americas from Europe in the early years of the 19th Century, and was an immediate success in both Napa and Sonoma counties, which remain its strongholds today.