Hewitson Ned & Henry’s Shiraz 2022 - Barossa Valley, South Australia

94/100 Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
94/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
93/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
93/100 Regan Drew, Wine Pilot

94/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot (2021 vintage)
93/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (2021 vintage)
92/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2021 vintage)
91/100 Wine Front (2021 vintage)
16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (2021 vintage)
94/100 Regan Drew, Wine Pilot (2020 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
92/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)
16/20 Jancis Robinson (2020 vintage)
95/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot (2019 vintage)
94/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)

Bronze - Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Front (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2019 vintage)
Bronze - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (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

Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot "This has intentionally been made to ensure it drinks well when young, as well as into the future. That it is brilliant value is simply a bonus. A combination of whole berries and those crushed, with several weeks on skins before sixteen months maturation in older French oak barriques. Inky black, the nose exhibits notes of dark chocolate, mocha, roast meats, black cherries and leather. A savoury style with fine balance, there is good intensity here which runs the full journey plus silky tannins and impressive length. The palate sees notes of warm earth and spicy sausages emerge with saturated flavours throughout. Like this a lot and can certainly be enjoyed now."

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "Hewitson aimed for a more traditional full bodied Barossa red with this excellent Shiraz. He’s done it to point, but there is polish and poise here that elevates it into a more individual style. Loads of dark plum fruit characters on the nose with a little coffee and spice, finished with a slightly dry flaky rust-like character. Like it."

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "The classic Barossa fruit profile and lines are here but with a bit more space and mid-weighted verve. Which was exactly the challenge set by a friend of Dean Hewitson and he's nailed the brief. Black and blue fruits, abundant spice, just the right amount of crunch to the fruit, chewy tannin grip and an energetic vibe. It all makes for great drinking."

Regan Drew, Wine Pilot "From the Steingarten Road Vineyard with an average age of 30 years. Winemaking sees 16 months maturation in French oak barriques. Pulpy and bright Barossa nose with plenty of ripe plum, sweet oak spice, ‘fruits of the forest’ conserve and a little potpourri. Cheeky middleweight, offering all the fruit you want without being encumbered by anything extra. Oak and pepper spice with a spread of powdery tannins make this enjoyable drinking."

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "A generous and hugely flavoursome Barossa Shiraz delivered with a modern finesse and refinement that marks so many of these Barossa wines these days. There’s almost a carbonic maceration character evident on the nose and through into the palate. Bright and lively with a slight vineyard character of ironstone providing balance and offsetting the plush fruit. Love the palate with that slight ferruginous finish." (2021 vintage)

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "A wonderfully fragrant and juicy shiraz from Dean Hewitson. Packed with super-ripe plum and dark cherry fruits with hints of exotic spice, violets, jasmine, licorice, dark chocolate and earth. There's a nice sense of fruit purity and detail on the palate, tannins all powdery and sexy, the cadence crisp and clear and a sense of harmony on a finish that shows some nice sustain for the price." (2021 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Medium to intense ruby red colour. Mulberry and violet aromatics. Ample weight with plush purple fruits, dried herbs and a floral note that brings further appeal. tannins remain in the background, but they have enough intensity to ensure the finish is still dry. Very appealing wine" (2021 vintage)

Regan Drew, Wine Pilot "Created from a challenge to winemaker Dean Hewitson to produce a wine that’s fit for a vintage luncheon now and in 10 years’ time. Calming, “Ahhhh Barossa” elements of Christmas cake spice (especially the peel), blue/bloody meat, blood plum and chocolate. Hints of black tea depth with licorice allsorts and soft vanilla kisses. Full bodied without corpulence. Initial bloom of dark red fruits expand wide with soft, chewy tannins before things tighten and draw close. Lean in it says…. a stony whisper, a hush not often seen in wines of this rank with a juicy dark raspberry biting coda. Leave the bottle, please." (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "Violet florals with blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. The fruit-focused palate has a smooth sheen of tannin that builds nicely into the spicy finish. Ripe, succulent tannins hold fresh. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2020 vintage)

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "Shiraz grown on oxidised ferrous terra rossa over clay soils; 100% whole berries in the ferment, matured in old, seasoned French oak barriques for 16 months. A fruit profile that is deep and resonant, featuring rich red- and black-berry fruits and black cherry, underscored with hints of licorice, earth, dark chocolate and oak spice. Compact powdery tannin, great fruit intensity and texture galore." (2020 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Ink black core to a deep purple rim. Black cherry, sarsaparilla and anise aromas. Full-bodied and boisterous across the tongue. Purple fruit and dark spices bounce along to a reasonable length finish. A year in bottle will settle it, I suspect" (2020 vintage)

Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate "Aromatically, this 2020 Ned and Henry's Shiraz is buoyant and effusive with blueberries, raspberries, salted licorice and char. In the mouth, there is leaf, bramble and sap; the wine is surprisingly lean and firm, relying more on structure than the nose would suggest. I can't find any comment on whole bunch or not, but the wine has a stalky/sappy character, which would make more sense if it had! The tannins are a little firm for my tastes, but if you like lean, spiny Shiraz, this is for you." (2020 vintage)

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "You gotta love Barossa shiraz when you wrap your gums around this terrific wine. Hints of ironstone and chalk emerge on the nose to complement the dark fruit characters of this true Barossa shiraz. The palate is dense and super concentrated with dark plum and blackberry favours swirling with a dark liqueur chocolate richness filling the background. Brilliant and bright, while still with that power and length. Super wine." (2019 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Black core, deep purple rim and a glass coating viscosity. A nose of paprika, blackberries and bramble. Full black fruit on entry, layer of liquorice and wood-spices show along the flow as well. A solid grip of tannins kicks in to manage the fruit-weight. A reasonable length but the finish is a little out of focus" (2019 vintage)

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. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2018 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "The bouquet has green pea and bean aromas, spices and smoky burnt vegetable notes. The wine is sinewy and uneven across the palate. There's a suggestion of 'dead fruit', but it has redeeming features." (2018 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.