Hewitson The Dorrien Bank Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – Barossa Valley, South Australia

96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
96/100 Jeni Port, Wine Pilot
95/100 Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
95/100 Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
94/100 Regan Drew, Wine Pilot
94/100 Melissa Moore, Wine Pilot
94/100 Gary Walsh, Wine Front
93/100 Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
92/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review
92/100 Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal Barossa Guide

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

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit "Superbly fruited and enticing, the wine shows cassis, toasty oak, olive, warm spice and vanilla characters, leading to a wonderfully weighted palate offering rich texture backed by finely pitched tannins, finishing persistent and structured. Wonderfully styled with delectable varietal flavours, making it highly enjoyable."

Jeni Port, Wine Pilot "Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon has always had a touch of class, a memory first planted by the great Cabernets produced in the Barossa sub-region by Seppelt. The Dorrien Bank vineyard – situated on the sandy loam bank of the Para River – doesn’t disappoint in producing an engaging, flavoursome Cabernet that sings. Black as night in hue. Graphite, pencil lead oak notes combine with loganberry, blackberry, crushed herbs, mint and spice aromas. There’s no denying that Dorrien Bank is big in personality, full-on in the richness and oak stakes, but it handles it so well. The winemaker’s hand has constructed one smart Cabernet full of flavour, structure and interest. Chocolate, liquorice, earth, leather, nutmeg and a whisper of gentle leafiness join forces with woodsy oak spice to command the drinker’s attention. And then it keeps it. Bravo."

Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot "The fruit was sourced from the Dorrien subregion which sits on the left bank of the Para River that cuts through the Barossa Valley. It’s such a smooth and seamlessly woven cabernet that has been worked with a mix of new and older French oak for about 18 months. Powerful varietal blackcurrant and savoury plum aromas with a subtle cedary influence. The tannins are quite chalky and firm which suits the power and intensity of the fruit. Bright and lively with great length. Well-suited to cellaring"

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion "Classic left bank cabernet sauvignon. Left bank of the Para River that is, in the famed subregion of Dorrien. Deep magenta/crimson with fruit aromas of plush blackberry, black cherry and blackcurrant. Nary a herbaceous note to be found. It's all layered spice, licorice, créme de cassis, kirsch, tobacco pouch and softly spoken cedar tones. Weighty and wonderfully ripe and silken, tannins superfine and melting back into the black fruits and finishing long, fruit pure with a slightly savoury lean."

Regan Drew, Wine Pilot "After a boundary realignment with a neighbour in 2019, Hewitson acquired 3 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon. Planted in 1996 in the sub-region of Dorrien on the left bank of the Para River that runs through the Barossa, it was re-worked over 3 years ‘from head to toe.’ Winemaking sees 10% whole bunch in the ferment and held on skins for 3 weeks with 18 months maturation in new and used French oak barriques. Opens with dark chocolate coating blackcurrant, raspberry and cassis aromas. Spearmint highlight over tobacco pouch and rain drenched eucalypts. Oak presents a touch of spice, cedar and vanilla. The medium body offers plenty of red fruit fleshiness with just-picked blackberry freshness and lift, supported by black olive savouriness. Tannins are ripe and supple, the oak giving a kiss of spice through a tail focused and long."

Melissa Moore, Wine Pilot "Planted in 1996, grapes for this new red from Dean Hewitson were estate-grown in the famous Dorrien sub-region that lies on the left bank of the Para River running through the Barossa Valley. The 2022 Dorrien Bank is bright and understandably youthful in the glass, with aromas of blackcurrant and boysenberry underpinned with baked plum pie, light leafy mint notes and the savoury French oak of vanilla, cedar and chocolate. Full-bodied, it has the richness of a Cadbury’s fruit and nut chocolate bar in great balance with fine acidity weaving throughout and chewy tannins to finish."

Gary Walsh, Wine Front "Vines planted in 1996, and I think of the Seppelt Dorrien Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon of the same year, which was a great wine. Bottled in a Burgundy bottle, which is a quirky choice! There’s a bit of oak here, but gee, Cabernet handles it so much better than Mourvèdre does. Cassis, chocolate, mint, pencils, spice, quite some perfume too. It’s full-bodied, but only just, lavish ripe dark fruit, creamy spicy oak, balanced acidity, deep and rich, tannin is plush and velvety, and the finish is long, and packed with dark cherry and cocoa."

Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate "The 2022 The Dorrien Bank is full-flavored and fleshy, with dried herbs and graphite woven through the generous fruit on the mid-palate. There are several thinly veiled references to Bordeaux on the back label, and the wine is so hemispherically different to those wines. This presents as warm-climate Cabernet Sauvignon, but it retains some freshness and detail on the mid-palate, which I think is an asset. There are notes of chewing tobacco and raspberry, peppercorns and lead pencil, with a sway of cedar and baking spice through the finish. Smart."

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "nk black core, barely fading into deep ruby rim. Heady nose of blackberry pastilles, vanilla cola and cigar leaf aromatics. Rich, plush and full on the palate, sweet black fruits with subtle cola spics and hints of cigar box all flow across the tongue. Good length brought by sandy tannins that carry right to the end, leaving a bone-dry finish."

Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal Barossa Guide "Deep crimson. Attractive blackcurrant, chinotto leafy aromas with sea-breezy notes. Smooth and glossy with ample cassis, touch minty flavours, fine al dente/leafy textures and underlying savoury notes. Bittersweet at the finish."

Annette Lacey MW, Wine Pilot "Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% whole bunch coaxes the black fruit perfume to swirl up and out of the glass. The deep ruby colour pops as does the ripest mulberry and blueberry fruits, vanilla and baking spice oak adds some depth to the fruit profile, reminiscent of a warmed fruit pie. Oak is noticable and so is the fruit but there is no jamminess, just a moderate weight supporting ripe and plush tannins that finish with a chalky attack to liven up your palate ready for the next sip. It really is a juxtaposition of silky ripe fruit and structure."

Winemaker "Through a boundary realignment with its neighbour in 2019, Hewitson acquired 3 Ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, planted 1996 with the lauded LC14 clone in the sub-region of Dorrien, on the left bank of the Para River that runs through Barossa Valley. This bedrock acquisition provided the opportunity to create a great Cabernet Sauvignon from this famous sub-region. Over the next three years the vineyard was re-worked from head to toe including subterranean drainage then micro-batch winemaking followed its evolution. Patience has been rewarded with the release of estate-grown The Dorrien Bank Cabernet Sauvignon."

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

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.