Hewitson The Mad Hatter Shiraz 2005
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Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
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The Wine Advocate, Jay Miller
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Shiraz “The Mad Hatter” is opaque purple in color with glass-coating glycerin. It offers aromas of cedar, smoke, scorched earth, tar, espresso, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with gobs of fruit, a plush texture, layers of flavor, ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. Give it 5-7 years in the bottle and drink it through 2030.
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Wine & Spirits
From a vineyard in Blewitt Springs, this Shiraz ages for close to two years in new French oak. That, plus additional bottle age, has transformed the fruit into chocolate bliss. The tannins are silky, giving scents of black tea and Asian spices. A warm and spicy winter red to pour with rack of lamb.
Other Vintages
2012-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
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Robert
Parker
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. The 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.
Hewitson believes great wines are an expression of the soils they are grown in and the season they grow. Through knowledge and experience, the winery strives for balance, structure, concentration, power and breeding. Proudly, through solar energy, water recycling and encouraging natural biodiversity, Hewitson brings these wines to your table environmentally sustainable.
Dean Hewitson is driven by passion. His creation of individual, exquisite wines from the ancient vineyards of South Australia is for your indulgence. Dean Hewitson has been indeed very fortunate to be tutored by some of the best wine makers and wine scientists in the world. Having completed his degree at Roseworthy, he worked at one of Australia's best wineries, visited some of the world's best wineries experiencing fifteen vintages worldwide, and spent two years at UC Davis, California, where he completed his Masters.
Hunting down the right varieties in the right vineyard in the right region was the next step. Each variety has been selected on the basis of being able to produce a wine of world class that, in particular, the old vineyards of South Australia are able to produce. Geographical isolation and in part a fluke of human non-intervention have preserved pre-phylloxera vineyards that are more closely linked to the original clones from Europe than anywhere on earth.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.