Hewitson "Old Garden" Mourvèdre 2010 – Barossa Valley, South Australia

97/100 James Halliday
96/100 Decanter
96/100 The Wine Front
94/100 Jeremy Oliver
92/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
92/100 CellarTracker
96/100 James Halliday (2009 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2009 vintage)
93+/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (2009 vintage)
93/100 Jeremy Oliver (2009 vintage)
91/100 CellarTracker (2009 vintage)
91/100 Wine Enthusiast (2009 vintage)
90/100 Wine Spectator (2009 vintage)
90/100 Wine & Spirit Magazine (2009 vintage)
Bronze - James Suckling (2009 vintage)
Bronze - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2009 vintage)

James Halliday 5 Star Winery
James Suckling Top 100 Top Value Wine 2020
James Halliday Top 100 Winery 2017
Top Rated Other Red and Blend of the Year 2024 - Halliday Wine Companion

Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2009 vintage)

James Halliday "Clear crimson; a wine that is complete and confident in itself, effortlessly filling the bouquet and palate with its small red and black fruits, a shimmer of tannins throughout, and a lingering finish. Vines planted 1853."

Decanter "Dark, heady spice and orange peel notes saturate the red cherry and blackberry fruit; terrific vinosity, well-framed by textured tannins."

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "With a medium density of garnet color, the 2010 Mourvedre Old Garden is evolving into a meat and earth-laced bake berry and preserved plum character with nuances of new leather and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers plenty of earthy/savory flavor with a firm backbone of chewy tannins and a good, long finish."

James Halliday "ght, clear, but bright red; the mother/daughter relationship with '10 Baby Bush Mourvedre is immediately obvious; this wine has greater intensity to its red fruits, but the same lithe grace and the remarkably fine, almost silky, tannins. Will live for a long, long time." (2009 vintage)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "Produced of 100% Mourvedre coming from 1853 vines, believed to be the oldest Mourvedre vines on the planet, the 2009 Old Garden Mourvedre is medium-deep garnet-purple colored giving a whole array of complex aromas: warm mulberries, black raspberries, kirsch, fruit cake, baking spices, game, dusty earth and sandalwood. Medium bodied, it is elegantly fruited in the mouth with silky tannins, very crisp acid and a long finish with plenty of spice, red berry and savory layers." (2009 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Hewitson, the Old Garden—source for this wine—was planted in 1853, likely making it the oldest Mourvèdre in existence. This vintage is bright-fruited, offering notes of strawberry, raspberry and even watermelon, framed by hints of cedar, vanilla and dark chocolate. The tannins are supple, letting crisp acidity drive the long finish." (2009 vintage)

James Suckling "Simple strawberry aromas with a hint of meat. Simple and thin." (2009 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium-light red, slight purple. Earthy, leathery and animal aromas. Slightly funky. Rather lean, linear, funky and not very flattering taste. Very earthy and not fresh or primary. Very drying powdery tannins flood the palate. Fruit is a bit light-on. " (2009 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.

Mourvedre is a black-skinned variety that has been grown in vineyards all around the western Mediterranean for centuries. Thought to have originated in Spain, it is now grown extensively throughout the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, California and South Australia. Single-variety Mourvedre or Monastrell wines are not particularly common, but as the curiosity of the average wine consumer increases, so more and more producers are experimenting with making wines from 100 per cent Mourvedre.