Hewitson Wines

Campbell Mattinson, The Big Red Wine Book

Baby Bush Mourvèdre 2008

08 Baby Bush 93 points

93 points

We described the 2007 release of this as having a 'tangerine deliciousness' and this one has that same character. It's also nutty, re-fruited (cherries and raspberries) and minorly earthly, with crisp acidity and subdued tannins - easy to drink. We reckon it will be even better with a couple of years under its belt.

Baby Bush Mourvèdre 2007

07 Baby Bush Mourvedre “you’d have to go a long way to find someone who didn’t enjoy this”

"We're fans of the mourvedre grape, and the mourvedre wines of Dean Hewitson are a big part of our enthusiasm.

This is the second release of Hewitson Baby Bush, grown on youngish, untrellised 'bush' vines. Lovely drink. Indeed, you'd have to go a long way to find someone who didn't enjoy this. It's full of earthy, boysenberried, tangerine-like deliciousness and, though there's a touch of toasty, cedary oak here too, it's that pure, glorious fruit flavour that does most of the talking. A delight."

Drink 2009-2014.

Value 4 drops
Score 91

Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh
The Big Red Wine Book 2009/10

Miss Harry 2007

07 Miss Harry Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre “spot-on”

"This is a blend of old-vine Grenache, shiraz and mourvedre, and it's pretty much spot-on every year.

This is a beautiful wine. It's bright and fruity, dark-centred and vibrant, its flavours or raspberry licorice and blackberry jam both plump and silken. There's even a bit of earthiness here; it's excellent. You'll have to get used to us banging on about wines like this, because we love 'em. "

Drink 2009-2014
Value Five drops
Score 94

Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh
The Big Red Wine Book 2009/10

Ned & Henry's 2007

07 Ned & Henry’s Shiraz “it’s always good”

"It's named after Dean Hewison's kids and it's always good.

Yep, we like this. It tastes of tar, chocolate and thick, cakey blackberry, and it has just enough lift and life to stop it from seeming porty. The tannin structure is chalky and grainy and in need of a little time, but the all-round quality of the wine is obvious. "

Drink 2010-2014
Value Five drips
Score 91

Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh
The Big Red Wine Book 2009/10

Old Garden Mourvèdre 2007

07 Old Garden Mourvedre “Treasured vines and a treasured wine”

"It's made from mourvedre vines planted in 1853, which makes them some of the rarest vines in the world. Naturally, the grapes they grow are prized.

Treasured vines and a treasured wine. OK, so the oak is a bit toffee and sweet (we'd rather it was just a bit less), but that leathery, blackberried fruit power gains momentum as it travels across your tongue, the breaks then gently applied by fine-grained tannins. Superb-quality wine".

Drink 2012-2018.
Value Three drips
Score 94

Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh
The Big Red Wine Book 2009/10

Baby Bush Mourvèdre 2006

06 Baby Bush- "... guarantee that you will love this."

94 points

"This is the first release of a ten-year-long pet project of Dean Hewitson's. He took vine cuttings from the oldest living mourvedre vineyard on the planet, and grew these cuttings as 'bush vines', which means they are not trellised in any way."

2006 RELEASE
"I reckon this is bonza. It's tarry and blueberried and interesting, the depth of it made to look easy by its satiny, grapey texture. I pretty much guarantee that you will love this. It's lusciously fragrant too, long and succulent, and (just quietly) does a decent job of getting my blood racing. DRINK: 2008-2015."

Price: $28.00
Region: Barossa
Value: 5/5

Miss Harry 2006

06 Miss Harry- "... a piece of textbook craftmanship"

93 points

2006 RELEASE
"Clean, ripe, controlled. Excellent mid-weight drinking. Gets the mix of spicy grenache-like flavour and sweet dark shiraz flavour exactly right, the exotic leathery appeal of mourvedre needing only time to show its worth. This was one of the first wines to waltz easily into the pages of this book. Look for the supple tannins- they're a piece of textbook craftsmanship. DRINK: 2009-2014."

Price: $22.00
Region: Barossa
Value: 5/5

Old Garden Mourvèdre 2006

06 Old Garden- "It's marvellous to admire, but even better to drink."

96 points

"Some mad folks reckon that mourvedre is the Barossa Valley's best performing red grape. A couple of recent tastings have made me think the mad folks aren't far wrong."

2006 RELEASE
"Part of the price is rarity - this is picked off a very small patch of the world's oldest living mourvedre vines (planted in 1853) - but the quality too is extremely high. It's like a good, rich South Australian shiraz complete with all the dark fruited treats you'd expect, with an X-factor attached. Describing that X-factor isn't easy, but it has something to do with the orange rind, spice-box and old dry tobacco flavours that cavort through the wine. It's marvellous to admire, but even better to drink. DRINK: 2011-2019."

Price: $50.00
Region: Barossa
Value: 5/5

Ned & Henry's 2006

06 Ned & Henry's- "I don't know that I've ever tasted a wine of his that I didn't enjoy"

91 points

2006 RELEASE
"There's such a thing in wine as 'grapeyness', which might sound like a statement of the bleeding obvious but refers to the fact that most wine taste 'winey', but the odd one tastes 'grapey'. It's usually a very attractive trait in a wine. This wine has it, especially in the velvety softness of the tannins. They taste like red grape skins. The wine as a whole is all about rich fruit, with oak playing very little role. It's not a look-at-me wine, but it's very good. DRINK: 2008-2014."

Price: $25.00
Region: Barossa
Value: 4/5

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