Three Premium Red Wine Mixed 3 Pack Value
$154
$188
Elevate your wine collection and treat yourself or a loved one to this exclusive pack of premium red wines. This specially curated collection offers you a variety of exceptional red wines from around the world, perfect for wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
1 x Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2019 ~ Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
96/100 James Halliday
99/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
98/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
96/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
97/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2018 Vintage)
98/100 James Halliday (2014 Vintage)
97/100 James Suckling (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Vinous Antoni Galloni (2014 Vintage)
Halliday 100 - Halliday Wine Companion '2019 Top 100" (2017 vintage)
Best In Show Trophy - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
Rated by the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine V as 'Exceptional'
Platinum - Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday 'Wine of the Year' 2021 (2018 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2013 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2006 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
James Halliday "A stellar wine boasting an intensity of flavour, palate-staining levels of extract and a forensic precision to the tannins that forces one to swish the wine about the mouth while chewing every ounce of nourishment from it. Subdued at first, before 2019's ripe kit of black cherry melds with lilac florals and a long trail of pepper, Indian spice mix and charcuterie flavours. A venerable wine in the making."
The Wine Companion "Bright mid-density colour with purple hues. The use of large format French oak allows the red spice and bramble fruit of Hunter shiraz to shine. Initial palate is very supple and complete, giving a lovely flow from start to finish. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2018 vintage. Subtle but powerful."
Quill & Pad "A glorious nose. Mulberries, lingonberries, dark fruits, plums, spices, tobacco leaves. A wine with immaculate balance, a soft and supple texture and the silkiest of tannins. Ethereal. There is both depth of flavor and serious complexity here. Great length. A wine of poise and grace and one that will undoubtedly give many years of pleasure. 98."
Halliday Wine Award 2021 Judges Comment "A single block of mainly 50yo vines was hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 8-19 days on skins, matured in French oak of various shapes and sizes. Excellent colour through to the rim. Take a bottle with you to drink with Maurice O'Shea and he'll be ecstatic. It's supple, perfectly balanced, a pure expression of a quirky vineyard that has been the work of Iain Riggs for four decades. '18 was a great vintage, and he pinged it." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "One of Australia's icons. The decision not to use any new French oak, and to limit the alcohol to 13.5%, has resulted in a wine with a unique sense of place. It is also superbly balanced, dark fruits married to superfine tannins - another feature of a classic Hunter shiraz." (2018 Vintage)
Decanter "A decade later, off the back of a couple of drizzly years, 2017 was somewhat of a scorcher - which typically makes for an excellent Shiraz harvest in the Hunter. Yet to be released, the ’17 Graveyard Shiraz is vibrant and alive with hot pink and ruby hues that’s nigh on neon! Bright, ripe red fruit notes are accompanied by musk and spice, with big, moisture-sucking, clasping tannins. It will retain incredible line and length for decades to come." (2017 Vintage)
The Winemaker "This is our flagship release from a wonderful collection of 2017 Hunter Valley Shiraz wines from Brokenwood. All are characterised by deep colour and lifted ripe fruit. Ripe fruit notes of dark plum and cherry along with background vanillin oak. Rich in colour with deep red tints, due to the low yield and low juice-to-skin ratio. Dry ripe tannins give perfect structure and carry the sweet fruit right to the back palate. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2014 vintage. Subtle but powerful." (2017 Vintage)
James Halliday "A deservedly fashionable winery producing consistently excellent wines. Its big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in '78 and has been working to totally rehabilitate the vineyard over the ensuing decades. It's been a vine by vine exercise, with a degree of experimentation of rootstocks and clonal material from other, even older vineyards. Next, there is a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the associated Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of diverse business, and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood's high profile fresh and newsworthy. He has also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood consistently produces excellent wines.
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood's big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in 1978 and has fully rehabilitated the vineyard in a vine-by-vine exercise. There is also a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of a diverse business and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood’s high profile fresh and newsworthy. He also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Established in 1970 Brokenwood Wines is one of Australia's most reputable premium wine labels and a must-visit in the Hunter Valley. It was established by Australia's leading wine critic, James Halliday. Consistently listed as a 5-star winery, Brokenwood is home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, the highly acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch Range.
1 x Hewitson Ned & Henry’s Shiraz 2019 - Barossa Valley, South Australia
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)
Silver - Paris Wine Cup
Gold - Mundus Vini International Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Gold - Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 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."
1 x Swinney "Tirra Lirra" Syrah Mouvedre Grenache 2017 ~ Frankland River, Western Australia
Limited release
Five Star Halliday Rating (2016 vintage)
James Halliday Top Ten ~ Best New Wineries 2015 (2016 vintage)
#6 Top Wineries of Australia 2020 ~ The Real Review
95/100 James Halliday (2016 Vintage)
James Halliday "Light, bright, clear crimson-purple; it’s amazing that the late ripening varieties of mourvedre and grenache should perform as well as they do in this vibrantly fresh wine. Its quality comes from the intensity and purity of the fruit, not tannins or oak, the bushvine architecture is the key to unlock the puzzle. I really like this wine." (2016 Vintage)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine ~ Wines to Watch ~ Nick Ryan "...an impressive suite of wines that provide compelling evidence of real understanding of site and dedication to capturing what makes it special." (2016 Vintage)
The Winemaker "Our 2016 Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache combines the best attributes of each of these varieties: perfume, spice, texture, soft tannins and complex fruit fl avour. Currants, clove and violets are primary but fresh tar and white pepper savouriness spike immediate interest. Milk chocolate and veal slowly unveil themselves as opulent players, while a cool climate frame provides lightness and fine fruit tannins are polished and moreish." A new wine from award winning Swinney Vineyards, this is a limited release wine with only 140 cases made. The fruit was hand-picked – with the Grenache and Mourvedre coming from the Swinney's renowned bush vine vineyard. Aged in French oak. (2016 Vintage)
48% Syrah
36% Mourvedre
16% Grenache
The Swinneys are a pair of brother-and-sister winemakers who are one of the rare new Australian wineries to have two of their wines invited onto the esteemed wine lists of The Savoy Grill in London - considered one of the best wine lists in the world.
Swinney Vineyards made its debut in Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2015 with a five-star rating and were ranked in the top ten of best new wineries.
Frankland River is a key Australian wine sub-region the south of Western Australia. It is located just inland from the Southern Ocean coast, 115 miles east of Margaret River. Frankland River is the coldest wine region in continental Australia. Riesling is the area's specialty, with its crisp, fresh style standing out from the more diesel–kerosene notes found in the warmer regions further north.
1 x Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2019 ~ Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
96/100 James Halliday
99/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
98/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
96/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
97/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2018 Vintage)
98/100 James Halliday (2014 Vintage)
97/100 James Suckling (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Vinous Antoni Galloni (2014 Vintage)
Halliday 100 - Halliday Wine Companion '2019 Top 100" (2017 vintage)
Best In Show Trophy - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
Rated by the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine V as 'Exceptional'
Platinum - Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday 'Wine of the Year' 2021 (2018 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2013 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2006 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
James Halliday "A stellar wine boasting an intensity of flavour, palate-staining levels of extract and a forensic precision to the tannins that forces one to swish the wine about the mouth while chewing every ounce of nourishment from it. Subdued at first, before 2019's ripe kit of black cherry melds with lilac florals and a long trail of pepper, Indian spice mix and charcuterie flavours. A venerable wine in the making."
The Wine Companion "Bright mid-density colour with purple hues. The use of large format French oak allows the red spice and bramble fruit of Hunter shiraz to shine. Initial palate is very supple and complete, giving a lovely flow from start to finish. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2018 vintage. Subtle but powerful."
Quill & Pad "A glorious nose. Mulberries, lingonberries, dark fruits, plums, spices, tobacco leaves. A wine with immaculate balance, a soft and supple texture and the silkiest of tannins. Ethereal. There is both depth of flavor and serious complexity here. Great length. A wine of poise and grace and one that will undoubtedly give many years of pleasure. 98."
Halliday Wine Award 2021 Judges Comment "A single block of mainly 50yo vines was hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 8-19 days on skins, matured in French oak of various shapes and sizes. Excellent colour through to the rim. Take a bottle with you to drink with Maurice O'Shea and he'll be ecstatic. It's supple, perfectly balanced, a pure expression of a quirky vineyard that has been the work of Iain Riggs for four decades. '18 was a great vintage, and he pinged it." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "One of Australia's icons. The decision not to use any new French oak, and to limit the alcohol to 13.5%, has resulted in a wine with a unique sense of place. It is also superbly balanced, dark fruits married to superfine tannins - another feature of a classic Hunter shiraz." (2018 Vintage)
Decanter "A decade later, off the back of a couple of drizzly years, 2017 was somewhat of a scorcher - which typically makes for an excellent Shiraz harvest in the Hunter. Yet to be released, the ’17 Graveyard Shiraz is vibrant and alive with hot pink and ruby hues that’s nigh on neon! Bright, ripe red fruit notes are accompanied by musk and spice, with big, moisture-sucking, clasping tannins. It will retain incredible line and length for decades to come." (2017 Vintage)
The Winemaker "This is our flagship release from a wonderful collection of 2017 Hunter Valley Shiraz wines from Brokenwood. All are characterised by deep colour and lifted ripe fruit. Ripe fruit notes of dark plum and cherry along with background vanillin oak. Rich in colour with deep red tints, due to the low yield and low juice-to-skin ratio. Dry ripe tannins give perfect structure and carry the sweet fruit right to the back palate. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2014 vintage. Subtle but powerful." (2017 Vintage)
James Halliday "A deservedly fashionable winery producing consistently excellent wines. Its big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in '78 and has been working to totally rehabilitate the vineyard over the ensuing decades. It's been a vine by vine exercise, with a degree of experimentation of rootstocks and clonal material from other, even older vineyards. Next, there is a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the associated Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of diverse business, and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood's high profile fresh and newsworthy. He has also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood consistently produces excellent wines.
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood's big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in 1978 and has fully rehabilitated the vineyard in a vine-by-vine exercise. There is also a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of a diverse business and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood’s high profile fresh and newsworthy. He also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Established in 1970 Brokenwood Wines is one of Australia's most reputable premium wine labels and a must-visit in the Hunter Valley. It was established by Australia's leading wine critic, James Halliday. Consistently listed as a 5-star winery, Brokenwood is home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, the highly acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch Range.
1 x Hewitson Ned & Henry’s Shiraz 2019 - Barossa Valley, South Australia
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)
Silver - Paris Wine Cup
Gold - Mundus Vini International Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Gold - Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 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."
1 x Swinney "Tirra Lirra" Syrah Mouvedre Grenache 2017 ~ Frankland River, Western Australia
Limited release
Five Star Halliday Rating (2016 vintage)
James Halliday Top Ten ~ Best New Wineries 2015 (2016 vintage)
#6 Top Wineries of Australia 2020 ~ The Real Review
95/100 James Halliday (2016 Vintage)
James Halliday "Light, bright, clear crimson-purple; it’s amazing that the late ripening varieties of mourvedre and grenache should perform as well as they do in this vibrantly fresh wine. Its quality comes from the intensity and purity of the fruit, not tannins or oak, the bushvine architecture is the key to unlock the puzzle. I really like this wine." (2016 Vintage)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine ~ Wines to Watch ~ Nick Ryan "...an impressive suite of wines that provide compelling evidence of real understanding of site and dedication to capturing what makes it special." (2016 Vintage)
The Winemaker "Our 2016 Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache combines the best attributes of each of these varieties: perfume, spice, texture, soft tannins and complex fruit fl avour. Currants, clove and violets are primary but fresh tar and white pepper savouriness spike immediate interest. Milk chocolate and veal slowly unveil themselves as opulent players, while a cool climate frame provides lightness and fine fruit tannins are polished and moreish." A new wine from award winning Swinney Vineyards, this is a limited release wine with only 140 cases made. The fruit was hand-picked – with the Grenache and Mourvedre coming from the Swinney's renowned bush vine vineyard. Aged in French oak. (2016 Vintage)
48% Syrah
36% Mourvedre
16% Grenache
The Swinneys are a pair of brother-and-sister winemakers who are one of the rare new Australian wineries to have two of their wines invited onto the esteemed wine lists of The Savoy Grill in London - considered one of the best wine lists in the world.
Swinney Vineyards made its debut in Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2015 with a five-star rating and were ranked in the top ten of best new wineries.
Frankland River is a key Australian wine sub-region the south of Western Australia. It is located just inland from the Southern Ocean coast, 115 miles east of Margaret River. Frankland River is the coldest wine region in continental Australia. Riesling is the area's specialty, with its crisp, fresh style standing out from the more diesel–kerosene notes found in the warmer regions further north.
Elevate your wine collection and treat yourself or a loved one to this exclusive pack of premium red wines. This specially curated collection offers you a variety of exceptional red wines from around the world, perfect for wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
1 x Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2019 ~ Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
96/100 James Halliday
99/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
98/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
96/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
97/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2018 Vintage)
98/100 James Halliday (2014 Vintage)
97/100 James Suckling (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Vinous Antoni Galloni (2014 Vintage)
Halliday 100 - Halliday Wine Companion '2019 Top 100" (2017 vintage)
Best In Show Trophy - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
Rated by the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine V as 'Exceptional'
Platinum - Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday 'Wine of the Year' 2021 (2018 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2013 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2006 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
James Halliday "A stellar wine boasting an intensity of flavour, palate-staining levels of extract and a forensic precision to the tannins that forces one to swish the wine about the mouth while chewing every ounce of nourishment from it. Subdued at first, before 2019's ripe kit of black cherry melds with lilac florals and a long trail of pepper, Indian spice mix and charcuterie flavours. A venerable wine in the making."
The Wine Companion "Bright mid-density colour with purple hues. The use of large format French oak allows the red spice and bramble fruit of Hunter shiraz to shine. Initial palate is very supple and complete, giving a lovely flow from start to finish. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2018 vintage. Subtle but powerful."
Quill & Pad "A glorious nose. Mulberries, lingonberries, dark fruits, plums, spices, tobacco leaves. A wine with immaculate balance, a soft and supple texture and the silkiest of tannins. Ethereal. There is both depth of flavor and serious complexity here. Great length. A wine of poise and grace and one that will undoubtedly give many years of pleasure. 98."
Halliday Wine Award 2021 Judges Comment "A single block of mainly 50yo vines was hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 8-19 days on skins, matured in French oak of various shapes and sizes. Excellent colour through to the rim. Take a bottle with you to drink with Maurice O'Shea and he'll be ecstatic. It's supple, perfectly balanced, a pure expression of a quirky vineyard that has been the work of Iain Riggs for four decades. '18 was a great vintage, and he pinged it." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "One of Australia's icons. The decision not to use any new French oak, and to limit the alcohol to 13.5%, has resulted in a wine with a unique sense of place. It is also superbly balanced, dark fruits married to superfine tannins - another feature of a classic Hunter shiraz." (2018 Vintage)
Decanter "A decade later, off the back of a couple of drizzly years, 2017 was somewhat of a scorcher - which typically makes for an excellent Shiraz harvest in the Hunter. Yet to be released, the ’17 Graveyard Shiraz is vibrant and alive with hot pink and ruby hues that’s nigh on neon! Bright, ripe red fruit notes are accompanied by musk and spice, with big, moisture-sucking, clasping tannins. It will retain incredible line and length for decades to come." (2017 Vintage)
The Winemaker "This is our flagship release from a wonderful collection of 2017 Hunter Valley Shiraz wines from Brokenwood. All are characterised by deep colour and lifted ripe fruit. Ripe fruit notes of dark plum and cherry along with background vanillin oak. Rich in colour with deep red tints, due to the low yield and low juice-to-skin ratio. Dry ripe tannins give perfect structure and carry the sweet fruit right to the back palate. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2014 vintage. Subtle but powerful." (2017 Vintage)
James Halliday "A deservedly fashionable winery producing consistently excellent wines. Its big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in '78 and has been working to totally rehabilitate the vineyard over the ensuing decades. It's been a vine by vine exercise, with a degree of experimentation of rootstocks and clonal material from other, even older vineyards. Next, there is a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the associated Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of diverse business, and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood's high profile fresh and newsworthy. He has also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood consistently produces excellent wines.
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood's big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in 1978 and has fully rehabilitated the vineyard in a vine-by-vine exercise. There is also a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of a diverse business and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood’s high profile fresh and newsworthy. He also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Established in 1970 Brokenwood Wines is one of Australia's most reputable premium wine labels and a must-visit in the Hunter Valley. It was established by Australia's leading wine critic, James Halliday. Consistently listed as a 5-star winery, Brokenwood is home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, the highly acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch Range.
1 x Hewitson Ned & Henry’s Shiraz 2019 - Barossa Valley, South Australia
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)
Silver - Paris Wine Cup
Gold - Mundus Vini International Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Gold - Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 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."
1 x Swinney "Tirra Lirra" Syrah Mouvedre Grenache 2017 ~ Frankland River, Western Australia
Limited release
Five Star Halliday Rating (2016 vintage)
James Halliday Top Ten ~ Best New Wineries 2015 (2016 vintage)
#6 Top Wineries of Australia 2020 ~ The Real Review
95/100 James Halliday (2016 Vintage)
James Halliday "Light, bright, clear crimson-purple; it’s amazing that the late ripening varieties of mourvedre and grenache should perform as well as they do in this vibrantly fresh wine. Its quality comes from the intensity and purity of the fruit, not tannins or oak, the bushvine architecture is the key to unlock the puzzle. I really like this wine." (2016 Vintage)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine ~ Wines to Watch ~ Nick Ryan "...an impressive suite of wines that provide compelling evidence of real understanding of site and dedication to capturing what makes it special." (2016 Vintage)
The Winemaker "Our 2016 Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache combines the best attributes of each of these varieties: perfume, spice, texture, soft tannins and complex fruit fl avour. Currants, clove and violets are primary but fresh tar and white pepper savouriness spike immediate interest. Milk chocolate and veal slowly unveil themselves as opulent players, while a cool climate frame provides lightness and fine fruit tannins are polished and moreish." A new wine from award winning Swinney Vineyards, this is a limited release wine with only 140 cases made. The fruit was hand-picked – with the Grenache and Mourvedre coming from the Swinney's renowned bush vine vineyard. Aged in French oak. (2016 Vintage)
48% Syrah
36% Mourvedre
16% Grenache
The Swinneys are a pair of brother-and-sister winemakers who are one of the rare new Australian wineries to have two of their wines invited onto the esteemed wine lists of The Savoy Grill in London - considered one of the best wine lists in the world.
Swinney Vineyards made its debut in Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2015 with a five-star rating and were ranked in the top ten of best new wineries.
Frankland River is a key Australian wine sub-region the south of Western Australia. It is located just inland from the Southern Ocean coast, 115 miles east of Margaret River. Frankland River is the coldest wine region in continental Australia. Riesling is the area's specialty, with its crisp, fresh style standing out from the more diesel–kerosene notes found in the warmer regions further north.
1 x Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2019 ~ Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
96/100 James Halliday
99/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
98/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
96/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
97/100 Decanter Wine Awards (2018 Vintage)
98/100 James Halliday (2014 Vintage)
97/100 James Suckling (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker (2014 Vintage)
95/100 Vinous Antoni Galloni (2014 Vintage)
Halliday 100 - Halliday Wine Companion '2019 Top 100" (2017 vintage)
Best In Show Trophy - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
Rated by the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine V as 'Exceptional'
Platinum - Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday 'Wine of the Year' 2021 (2018 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2013 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2011 Vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2011 Vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2006 Vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2006 Vintage)
James Halliday "A stellar wine boasting an intensity of flavour, palate-staining levels of extract and a forensic precision to the tannins that forces one to swish the wine about the mouth while chewing every ounce of nourishment from it. Subdued at first, before 2019's ripe kit of black cherry melds with lilac florals and a long trail of pepper, Indian spice mix and charcuterie flavours. A venerable wine in the making."
The Wine Companion "Bright mid-density colour with purple hues. The use of large format French oak allows the red spice and bramble fruit of Hunter shiraz to shine. Initial palate is very supple and complete, giving a lovely flow from start to finish. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2018 vintage. Subtle but powerful."
Quill & Pad "A glorious nose. Mulberries, lingonberries, dark fruits, plums, spices, tobacco leaves. A wine with immaculate balance, a soft and supple texture and the silkiest of tannins. Ethereal. There is both depth of flavor and serious complexity here. Great length. A wine of poise and grace and one that will undoubtedly give many years of pleasure. 98."
Halliday Wine Award 2021 Judges Comment "A single block of mainly 50yo vines was hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 8-19 days on skins, matured in French oak of various shapes and sizes. Excellent colour through to the rim. Take a bottle with you to drink with Maurice O'Shea and he'll be ecstatic. It's supple, perfectly balanced, a pure expression of a quirky vineyard that has been the work of Iain Riggs for four decades. '18 was a great vintage, and he pinged it." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "One of Australia's icons. The decision not to use any new French oak, and to limit the alcohol to 13.5%, has resulted in a wine with a unique sense of place. It is also superbly balanced, dark fruits married to superfine tannins - another feature of a classic Hunter shiraz." (2018 Vintage)
Decanter "A decade later, off the back of a couple of drizzly years, 2017 was somewhat of a scorcher - which typically makes for an excellent Shiraz harvest in the Hunter. Yet to be released, the ’17 Graveyard Shiraz is vibrant and alive with hot pink and ruby hues that’s nigh on neon! Bright, ripe red fruit notes are accompanied by musk and spice, with big, moisture-sucking, clasping tannins. It will retain incredible line and length for decades to come." (2017 Vintage)
The Winemaker "This is our flagship release from a wonderful collection of 2017 Hunter Valley Shiraz wines from Brokenwood. All are characterised by deep colour and lifted ripe fruit. Ripe fruit notes of dark plum and cherry along with background vanillin oak. Rich in colour with deep red tints, due to the low yield and low juice-to-skin ratio. Dry ripe tannins give perfect structure and carry the sweet fruit right to the back palate. An impressive wine, which is a great follow on from the 2014 vintage. Subtle but powerful." (2017 Vintage)
James Halliday "A deservedly fashionable winery producing consistently excellent wines. Its big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in '78 and has been working to totally rehabilitate the vineyard over the ensuing decades. It's been a vine by vine exercise, with a degree of experimentation of rootstocks and clonal material from other, even older vineyards. Next, there is a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the associated Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of diverse business, and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood's high profile fresh and newsworthy. He has also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood consistently produces excellent wines.
Australian Wine Companion "Brokenwood's big-selling Hunter Semillon provides the volume to balance the limited quantities of the flagships ILR Semillon and Graveyard Shiraz. Brokenwood purchased the Graveyard Vineyard from Hungerford Hill in 1978 and has fully rehabilitated the vineyard in a vine-by-vine exercise. There is also a range of wines coming from regions including Beechworth (a major resource is the Indigo Vineyard), Orange, Central Ranges, McLaren Vale, Cowra and elsewhere. In 2017 Iain Riggs celebrated his 35th vintage at the helm of Brokenwood, offering a unique mix of winemaking skills, management of a diverse business and an unerring ability to keep Brokenwood’s high profile fresh and newsworthy. He also contributed a great deal to various wine industry organisations."
Established in 1970 Brokenwood Wines is one of Australia's most reputable premium wine labels and a must-visit in the Hunter Valley. It was established by Australia's leading wine critic, James Halliday. Consistently listed as a 5-star winery, Brokenwood is home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, the highly acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch Range.
1 x Hewitson Ned & Henry’s Shiraz 2019 - Barossa Valley, South Australia
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)
Silver - Paris Wine Cup
Gold - Mundus Vini International Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Gold - Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 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."
1 x Swinney "Tirra Lirra" Syrah Mouvedre Grenache 2017 ~ Frankland River, Western Australia
Limited release
Five Star Halliday Rating (2016 vintage)
James Halliday Top Ten ~ Best New Wineries 2015 (2016 vintage)
#6 Top Wineries of Australia 2020 ~ The Real Review
95/100 James Halliday (2016 Vintage)
James Halliday "Light, bright, clear crimson-purple; it’s amazing that the late ripening varieties of mourvedre and grenache should perform as well as they do in this vibrantly fresh wine. Its quality comes from the intensity and purity of the fruit, not tannins or oak, the bushvine architecture is the key to unlock the puzzle. I really like this wine." (2016 Vintage)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine ~ Wines to Watch ~ Nick Ryan "...an impressive suite of wines that provide compelling evidence of real understanding of site and dedication to capturing what makes it special." (2016 Vintage)
The Winemaker "Our 2016 Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache combines the best attributes of each of these varieties: perfume, spice, texture, soft tannins and complex fruit fl avour. Currants, clove and violets are primary but fresh tar and white pepper savouriness spike immediate interest. Milk chocolate and veal slowly unveil themselves as opulent players, while a cool climate frame provides lightness and fine fruit tannins are polished and moreish." A new wine from award winning Swinney Vineyards, this is a limited release wine with only 140 cases made. The fruit was hand-picked – with the Grenache and Mourvedre coming from the Swinney's renowned bush vine vineyard. Aged in French oak. (2016 Vintage)
48% Syrah
36% Mourvedre
16% Grenache
The Swinneys are a pair of brother-and-sister winemakers who are one of the rare new Australian wineries to have two of their wines invited onto the esteemed wine lists of The Savoy Grill in London - considered one of the best wine lists in the world.
Swinney Vineyards made its debut in Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2015 with a five-star rating and were ranked in the top ten of best new wineries.
Frankland River is a key Australian wine sub-region the south of Western Australia. It is located just inland from the Southern Ocean coast, 115 miles east of Margaret River. Frankland River is the coldest wine region in continental Australia. Riesling is the area's specialty, with its crisp, fresh style standing out from the more diesel–kerosene notes found in the warmer regions further north.