Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre 2005 Thursday, Jun 21 2007
Tasting Notes and Australia and Barossa Valley and Variety and Red and mourvedre et al
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.
Rated : 94 Points
Tasted : Jun07
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $49
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2008 - 2020
Source : Winery Sample
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6 Responses to “Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre 2005”
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:01 am
Good one big boy. Mourvedre IS under appreciated.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:13 am
Here here.
The Hewitson wines are always interesting, tasty and keenly priced. The Mourv, whilst sometimes hard to track down, is always interesting and such an impressive alternative to the half arsed Sangiovese/Tempranillo new ‘alternates’ that are popping up around the place.
AG
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 am
Hommage a Jacques Perrin is also underappreciated.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:07 am
Cheap too!
GW
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Gary,
Do you know if the fruit is sourced 100% from those old 1853 vines, or if the old vine material is only a ‘base’ with the balance sourced from other grapes?
Thanks,
Brent.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
100%
GW