97/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
96/100 James Suckling
96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
95/100 Ralph Kyte Powell, The Real Review
93/100 Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion
96/100 James Suckling (2016 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
94/100 Jeremy Oliver (2016 vintage)

James Halliday 5 Star Winery
James Suckling Top 100 Top Value Wine 2020
James Halliday Top 100 Winery 2017

James Suckling "Superb. The cooler and wetter 2017 vintage has swayed this into a distinctively fragrant zone with violet, blueberry and wild-herb accents, as well as some stony, gravely accents amid spicy oak. The palate has some real depth and plush blueberry and plum flavors. Such smooth-honed, seamless, almost pastry-like layering of tannin and blue-fruit flavors. Kicks fresh with sapid-fruit presence on the finish. A flurry of oak spice to close."

Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion "...this is a deeply complex mix of vineyard- and winemaker-derived character. The exotic spice of grand old vines is amplified by the fragrance of whole bunches. New French oak sits firm, biscuity and disjoint, demanding time to integrate amidst the tangy acidity of this cool season. Supple, soft old-vine fruit tannins and gentle red fruits are overwhelmed in the midst of this panoply. It lingers with great persistence, but will its gentle fruit see out its whole bunches, oak and acidity in the cellar? In such an elegant season, I'd love to see this fruit free of such noisy distractions."

James Suckling "This is super. It has a rich dark-plum, blackberry and cherry nose with spiced blueberries, too. Dried-rose florals, deep-set spices and a gently tarry edge are the early indicators of a very complex road ahead. The palate has such seamlessly arranged and layered tannins. Sweet, fine and assertive, yet supple. The depth of ripe dark-berry and blue-plum flavor is so impressive. Smooth, ripe and so effortlessly commanding." (2016 vintage) 

The Winemaker "The Old Garden vineyard is the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world planted in 1853. Dry-grown, original existing vines pre-Phylloxera. Eight rows of this rare and unique planting remain to this day at Rowland Flat and produce winemaker Dean Hewitson’s much-lauded single-vineyard table wine bearing the Old Garden name. The vineyard has been hand-tended and dry-farmed by Friedrich Koch and his direct descendants across three centuries."

Andy Saxon "Aged for 18 months in new French oak this full-bodied red wine offers lifted forest berry, black cherry and orange peel aromas. The palate shows dense, lush blackberries and prunes with hints of cigar box, violets and black pepper. Fine, seamlessly integrated tannins."

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.