95/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
92/100 Jamie Goode, Wineanorak
91/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
94/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2018 vintage)
92/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front (2018 vintage)
95/100 - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2017 vintage)
94/100 James Suckling (2017 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

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "Super wine. Brilliant and bright while still with that power and length. The palate is dense and super concentrated with dark plum and blackberry flavours swirling with a dark liqueur chocolate richness. Cellar: 10 years. The hint of ironstone and chalk emerges on the nose to complement the dark fruit characters of this true Barossa Shiraz."

Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front "This is brimful of sweet fruit flavour. ...Ripe plum, blackberry, graphite and clove. It oozes its way through the mouth. In fact it’s almost jellybean-esque. It’s simple but it’s very effective."

James Suckling "Attractive purple berries with bergamot, coal-smoke and tarry notes. Violets, earth and some herbal and chocolate nuances, too. The palate has plenty of tannin and a long, juicy red and blackcurrant core. Big, juicy finish that makes some real impact." (2018 vintage)

Gavin Hubble "Dean has access to some outstanding old vine grape parcels, from vineyards grown on red soil over limestone, the classic 'terra-rossa' vineyards; provide the quality fruit for this Ned & Henry's Shiraz / Mourvèdre. Traditionally grown, low cropping vines produce the rich flavours and expressive tannins found in this wine. After careful fermentation, the wine was then pressed into selected French oak barriques, where the wine also went through malolactic fermentation.....While the base wine has always been Shiraz, each year Dean blends in a small proportion of Mourvèdre, which accentuates the fruit and adds another subtle layer of complexity." (2018 Vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "A stylish Barossa Valley shiraz that presents its blackberry, plum and fine spices in a supple, medium-bodied palate, tannins and oak both playing valuable support roles. Will go the distance without flinching." (2017 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.

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.