Hewitson Wines

Old Garden Mourvèdre 2005

05 Old Garden- Rated four stars and 'splash out red'
Decanter Magazine on Jun-2008

Four stars

"Hewitson was founded just 10 years ago, but the vines that produce this wine are an amazing 150 years old. The wine displays attractive aromas of plum and game. Full bodied on the palate with dense, ripe fruit and tannin, firm acidity, plus a hint of chocolate. Up to 7+ years. Stockists: BBR, FMV."

05 Old Garden- Hewitson Mourvedre shows its class in ten year vertical tasting
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front on 04-May-2008

96 points

"Hewitson's Old Garden Mourvedre is one of the gems of Australian wine. It's made from grapes grown on vines reputed to be the oldest mourvedre vines in the world - over 160 years old - and it's bottled as a single variety, to show its character unbridled and unfettered. In this spirit it was made with only 30 per cent new oak in its early years, though as time went on Dean Hewitson saw that the flavours were so bold and strong that they could cope with, and be enhanced by, a greater per cent of new oak. In the spectacular 2002 vintage Hewitson put the wine in 100 per cent new French oak, and it tasted divine. Ever since then 100 per cent new oak has been the norm.

And it's a beautiful norm. This wine is both unique, and top class - a beautiful marriage. The following notes are from a ten year vertical tasting held in Dean Hewitson's kitchen in Adelaide recently. I've tasted most of these wines over the years, but I have not referred back to previous notes - these are simply my impressions of the wines as of now."

Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre 2005:
"Step up here. Classy wine. Structure, length, spreading flavour and length - hits the tongue and jolts the mouth to attention. Love the integration of chocolatey, spicy, cedary oak and earthy, licoricey, mocha-like fruit - this is an awesome wine. Drink: 2013-2018."

05 Old Garden "...tannins are rich and charming, the flavours run deep"
Nick Stock, WBM100 on Dec-2007

92 points

"Barossan growers typically refer to their vineyards as their gardens; this one was planted to Mourvedre in 1853. Hewitson nurtures this material into clean-cut, modern shape, the tannins are rich yet charming, the flavours run deep."

Download Review

05 Old Garden- 92 points in Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast on Nov-2007

92 points

"From vines more than 150 years old, this shows an unusually lush texture for Mourvedre. Starts with a potpourri of spices, like cinnamon, clove and cola, then adds vanilla and black cherry flavors before ending with a flourish of coffee and tree bark. Long and velvety on the finish. Drink now-2015 or beyond."

05 Old Garden invited to represent Australia in the Tri Nations Wine Challenge, 2007
Tri Nations Wine Challenge on Nov-2007

2005 Old Garden has been invited to represent Australia to compete in the Tri Nations Wine Challenge, 2007

The Tri Nations Wine Challenge is an annual event with wines from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand competing against each other .Three judges choose seven wines in each of fifteen categories making 315 wines in total to be judged. The wines are entered by invitation only making these awards unique by world standards.

2005 Old Garden has been entered in Class 12. Other Red Varieties

05 Old Garden in Jeremy Oliver's 2008 Edition
Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual

81 points

"Lacking genuine ripeness and rather reliant on mocha/vanilla oak for length and sweetness, this early-drinking red has a dark, meaty and smoky aroma of plums, raisins and dark berries that lack genuine punch and intensity. There's an initial burst of small berry and dark cherry/plum fruit on the palate, but it finishes thin and herbal."

05 Old Garden- 92 points in The Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate, Jay Miller on Oct-2007

92 points

"The 2005 Mourvedre "Old Garden" is purple-colored with an enticing aroma of cedar, Asian spices, damp earth, game and plum. Medium to full-bodied, it is dense and packed, with layers of savory flavour and ripe tannins. Give this lengthy wine 2-3 years to unfurl and drink it through 2020. Importer: John Larchet, The Australian Premium Wine Collection; www.hewitson.com.au" Issue #173

05 Old Garden
Winewise on Oct-2007

OUTSTANDING

"Delicious, velvety and sweet-fruited. How can a winemaker persuade Mourvedre to be so gentle yet still retain its identity? Outstanding." 14.5% Screwcap Vol. 23 No. 4

05 Old Garden "As suave as this is, give it some time in bottle"
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar on Oct-2007

"Ruby-red. Intensely floral aromas of pomegranate and redcurrant, along with dusty rose, lavender and cured tobacco. Surprisingly round and silky, with deep red berry and cherry flavors, gentle tannins and an explosive jolt of Asian spices on the close. Gains in depth with air, finishing with an insistent blackberry quality and outstanding length. As suave as this is, give it some time in bottle." Josh Raynolds

05 Old Garden in James Halliday's 2008 Edition
James Halliday, Wine Compendium/ Australian Wine Companion

95 points

"Medium-bodied, yet endlessly complex; has the dark fruits and the fine, savoury tannins which the variety is supposed to have, but which in Australia often seems to lack. The plantings are believed to be the oldest in the world. Even in the 1880s the vineyard was called 'The Old Garden' (Garden being the then name of the vineyard)." Screwcap 14.5% alc Rating 95 To 2020 $59.00

05 Old Garden "this is an exceptional example of this variety"
Christopher Hayes, www.eatanddrink.com.au on Jun-2007

"The Old Garden vineyard was planted in 1853 and consistently tended by the Koch family for generations; it boasts arguably the oldest mourvedre vines in the world - dry grown, low cropping and hand harvested. The vintage further concentrated the fruit and this is an exceptional example of the variety. The perfumes of dark berry, chocolate, "tokay"-soaked raisins and a hint of bitter marmalade are rich and complex. The palate is rich and concentrated but retains balance of fruit and tannins that gives a velvet palate that makes it immediately enjoyable. However a few years cellaring will be of great benefit."

05 Old Garden "Compelling and charismatic"
www.winorama.com.au on Jun-2007

94 points

"Mourvedre is a much under-appreciated grape. The poor old bush vines that produce this wine were planted in 1853 and struggle along with no irrigation. They are hand pruned and hand harvested though so at least the old buggers don't get a damned good thrashing a couple of times a year. Aromas of black fruit, plum pudding, raspberry, old leather, licorice, earth, cold coffee and spicy oak. You can almost smell the earth in which it was grown. On the palate full bodied with plum pudding, raspberry, bitter orange chocolate and earthy spicy flavours. Firm (not hard) open weave tannins and no hint of alcohol heat contribute further to the fine sense of balance. Dry long walnutty spicy finish. Compelling and charismatic. I rarely get to taste wines that are quite this interesting." Gary Walsh

 Back