Old Garden Mourvedre 2017
Hewitson
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.
Vinification: 20% whole bunch; cold soak one week; on skins three weeks after cold soak/remontage
Aging: 18 months new French oak barriques (Remond: Alliers, Troancais and Betranges forests).
Planting system: Old low trellis system
Vine density: 2,500 per Ha
Farming: Dry-land, unirrigated, rye grass between rows, hand pruned
Additional Information
Medium red with a crimson hue. Lifted forest berry, black cherry and orange peel. Palate shows dense, lush blackberries & prune with hints of cigar box, violets and black pepper. Fine, seamlessly integrated tannins.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Barossa Valley
- Winemaker: Dean Hewitson
- Sustainability: Sustainable Practices
- Soil: Sand, Limestone
- Avg Vine Age: Planted in 1853
- Yield: 4.8 tons/ha
- Alcohol: 14%
- Ttl Acidity: 6 g/l
- Residual Sugar: .6 g/l
- Pack Size: 6/750ml
- Varietals: 100% Mourvedre
Recent Press
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Score: 97 Points
Wine Pilot Author: Ray Jordan
Date: Sunday, January 10, 2021"These vines were planted in 1853 and may well be the oldest in the world. Tiny amount produced of this exceptional wine which had some whole bunch which gives it some structural integrity. Fermented in new French barriques then given another 20 months. The result is a wine of extraordinary depth and power delivered with finesse and smooth elegance that almost certainly stems from that old vine fruit source. Just stunning. Cellar: 20 years" -
Score: 95 Points
The Real Review Author: Ralph Kyte-Powell
Date: Friday, January 1, 2021"These low-yielding ancient vines give great concentration, depth, flavour integration and tannin ripeness to the finished wine. In this example it’s expressed via a harmonious, super-complex personality, built on seamlessly combined ripe berry and plum fruit, floral scents, dark-chocolatey richness, varietal spice and ironstone earthiness, all robed in an appropriate measure of nutty, vanillin oak. In the mouth, it’s seamless, full-bodied, juicy and powerful, yet not aggressive. The tannins are in balance, tangy acidity gives real zest. Although a big wine, this has a lovely supple succulence that sets it apart from many of its Barossa old vine peers." -
Score: 94 Points
The Wine Front Author: Campbell Mattinson
Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020"It’s fruitful for the most part but the finish is meaty. It’s a good way for a wine to be. There’s herb, cedarwood, red licorice and toast notes here too though that meaty/leathery aspect to the finish – in the context of freshness – is what ultimately defines it. Tannin is fine-grained and overall shape is excellent. Oak needs to settle a bit – it runs just ahead of the fruit – but quality here is up there." -
Score: 96 Points
JamesSuckling.com Author: James Suckling
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2020"This is sourced from a parcel of vines that were planted in 1853. 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. Around 45% whole bunches. Superb. Drink over the next 20 years."
