Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz 2019 - Barossa Valley, South Australia

95/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
95/100 Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
93/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
93/100 Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
93/100 Regan Drew, Wine Pilot
93/100 James Suckling
91/100 Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front
91/100 Andrew Graham, Wine Pilot
96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2018 vintage)
94/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
92/100 Gary Walsh, Wine Front (2018 vintage)
92/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2018 vintage)
92/100 Hao Shen, Tasting Notes by Hao Shen (2018 vintage)

Halliday Wine Companion - 5 Star Winery
James Halliday Top 100 Wine 2018
James Halliday Top 100 Winery 2017
James Halliday Top 100 Wine 2017

Aaron Brasher “Deep, dark and brooding in the glass. Dark-fruited aromas, stewed plum, mulberry, licorice, violets and dried herbs. Rich, dark and powerful on the palate, satsuma plum, a little tartness, luscious and mouth-filling. There's also plenty of tannin and acidity to keep the plush fruit behaving. Smart length and texture.”

Ken Gargett “The colour is deep dark red with flecks of purple throughout. Deep and intense, the nose offers rose petal notes, graphite, dark berries, mulberries, florals and a hint of that sweet, earthy character found in a tin of sliced beetroot. There is serious grip here, by way of fine yet firm tannins. The wine has serious length. This is a cracking young Shiraz”

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very ripe sweet berry fruit and spices (cloves and pepper) to sniff, the taste exotic and sweet-fruited, lush and supple textured, nicely balanced and quite concentrated. It needed time, air and patience." (2018 Vintage)

Sam Kim "Wonderfully ripe and impeccably proportioned, the bouquet shows sweet aromas of dark berries together with seductive nuances of vanilla, dark cocoa, olive and violet. The palate is sumptuous and opulent, offering terrific fruit power and richness, gorgeously complemented by velvety mouthfeel and seamlessly woven tannins." (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 is the name given to the dark-skinned Syrah grape when grown in Australia and selected pockets of the New World. Though genetically identical, the stylistic differences between Shiraz and Syrah are usually pronounced.

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.