The Barossa Valley is entrancing for many reasons... For me, what makes it such a special place is the abundance of pre-phylloxera vines planted on their own rootstock. In the Barossa Valley we can find some of the world's oldest vineyards, including plantings of shiraz/syrah (Langmeil/Moorooroo), grenache, mourvedre (Hewitson Old Garden), riesling, semillon, and cabernet sauvignon (Kalimna) that date back to the 1840s-1880s. Many of these vineyards are acclaimed to contain the oldest specimens of their respective varieties. These old vines produce extremely special grapes-- unique in their provenance, genetic rootstock, and sheer old age. And such special grapes can make truly unforgettable wine.
We owe many of these old vineyards to a Silesian exodus that occurred in the 1840's. Silesia-- a former country in eastern Europe (now mostly Poland)-- experienced religious intolerance toward Lutherans in the 1880s, and dozens of Lutheran families relocated to the Barossa Valley. They brought with them elements of their culture, which included Germanic food (still popular today), brass band music (we can find vestiges of this in the namesake for Henschke's "Euphonium" wine), and, of course, grape vines for winemaking.
Many of these early plantings were used to make fortified, port-style wines (popular in the late 1800s and early 190os). In fact, many of these old vines were originally intended for fortified wine production. Even such famed and iconic dry wine producers such as Wynns Estate in Coonawarra were once producing mostly fortified wines. A mass-transition from fortified to dry wine production happened in the 1950s and 60s. Today, finding the great Aussie ports is difficult (but definitely start with Seppeltsfield).
When placed against this historical backdrop, the uniqueness of the old mourvedre vines at Hewitson boldly express themselves.
We owe many of these old vineyards to a Silesian exodus that occurred in the 1840's. Silesia-- a former country in eastern Europe (now mostly Poland)-- experienced religious intolerance toward Lutherans in the 1880s, and dozens of Lutheran families relocated to the Barossa Valley. They brought with them elements of their culture, which included Germanic food (still popular today), brass band music (we can find vestiges of this in the namesake for Henschke's "Euphonium" wine), and, of course, grape vines for winemaking.
Many of these early plantings were used to make fortified, port-style wines (popular in the late 1800s and early 190os). In fact, many of these old vines were originally intended for fortified wine production. Even such famed and iconic dry wine producers such as Wynns Estate in Coonawarra were once producing mostly fortified wines. A mass-transition from fortified to dry wine production happened in the 1950s and 60s. Today, finding the great Aussie ports is difficult (but definitely start with Seppeltsfield).
When placed against this historical backdrop, the uniqueness of the old mourvedre vines at Hewitson boldly express themselves.
The Old Garden is an historic property, planted in 1853 (160 year old vines!) by Johan Friedrich Koch (b. 1793) and hand-tended by his family for seven generations!
Dean Hewitson (pictured left) took over the Old Garden of mourvedre in 1997. He found the vines, which were being used to make fortified wines and table wines, and saw potential for serious dry red production. He released his first vintage in 1998.
A couple weeks ago Dean visited NYC and put together an incredible vertical of almost every vintage he has ever made. He also came armed with detailed temperature an rainfall data for each year, which made the tasting that much more fascinating.
Tasting Notes: (these are my tasting notes as I wrote them swiftly in the experience)
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 1998 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures- no major cold or hot temperatures
Rainfall Notes: slightly above average rainfall
Tasting Note: leathery aromas, savory & meaty, with bright acidity.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 1999 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: pretty average temperatures throughout the growing season- cool
Rainfall Notes: low rainfall, especially during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: earthy and complex, dried berry aromas, savory vegetable aromas (in a good way)
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2000 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: hit a cold low and a few heat spikes, but nothing too drastic.
Rainfall Notes: average overall rainfall, but a bit heavy during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: This wine was unavailable at this tasting...
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2001 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a few heat spikes
Rainfall Notes: quite dry during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: great balance, baked fruit character, bright acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2002 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a very cool year
Rainfall Notes: heavy rainfall at the start of the year, but very little rainfall- well above average- during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: dense, rich extraction, higher tannins than the earlier wines, a stem-like flavor
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2003 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average
Rainfall Notes: average
Tasting Note: *in this year Dean moved from corks to screwcap. intense and powerful, prominent tannins, earthy & meaty
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2004 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: some cool lows throughout the year
Rainfall Notes: very low rainfall during the maturation period
Tasting Note: peppers, leather, gamey meats in aromas and taste
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2005 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average with slightly higher than normal temperatures at maturation
Rainfall Notes: average overall, but very dry during the maturation period
Tasting Note: dried fruits, meaty and earthy aroma, rich but with great acidity to balance *my personal favorite of the bunch
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2006 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average, but cooler than normal during the final maturation period
Rainfall Notes: lower than average during maturation season
Tasting Note: meats, green peppers, charcuterie, earthy, a hint of barnyard aromas
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2007 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: some hot temperature spikes
Rainfall Notes: quite high rainfall during maturation period, but overall the year had low rainfall
Tasting Note: this wine was bright and tart, and seemed to have higher acidity than the previous few.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2008 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a couple hot temperatures hit throughout the year
Rainfall Notes: low rainfall throughout the entire year
Tasting Note: 2008 onward seemed to have a different character than the previous years (maybe 2007 and older passed through some sort of aging threshold). This one smelled spicy like quatre epices, nutmeg and vailla. The oak stood out a bit. spicy, and earthy, rich, powerful, and expressive. complex. It will be great to watch this one evolve. *another personal favorite of the group
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2009 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures
Rainfall Notes: average rainfall- more than usual during maturation period
Tasting Note: Dark fruits, cooked orange peels, young and taut, electric acidity.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2010 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: temperatures were a bit hotter than usual
Rainfall Notes: average rainfall
Tasting Note: rich on the nose and palate, tart acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2011 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a bit cooler than usual
Rainfall Notes: exceptionally high rainfall- 203.3% higher than the mean during the 5 months of maturation.
Tasting Note: *barrel sample- tart fruit flavors, bright acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2012 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures
Rainfall Notes: slightly higher than normal
Tasting Note: *barrel sample - ripe fruit aromas, quatre epice spiciness, oak very evident on the nose (of course though, as this is a barrel sample).
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 1998 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures- no major cold or hot temperatures
Rainfall Notes: slightly above average rainfall
Tasting Note: leathery aromas, savory & meaty, with bright acidity.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 1999 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: pretty average temperatures throughout the growing season- cool
Rainfall Notes: low rainfall, especially during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: earthy and complex, dried berry aromas, savory vegetable aromas (in a good way)
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2000 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: hit a cold low and a few heat spikes, but nothing too drastic.
Rainfall Notes: average overall rainfall, but a bit heavy during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: This wine was unavailable at this tasting...
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2001 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a few heat spikes
Rainfall Notes: quite dry during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: great balance, baked fruit character, bright acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2002 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a very cool year
Rainfall Notes: heavy rainfall at the start of the year, but very little rainfall- well above average- during the maturation period.
Tasting Note: dense, rich extraction, higher tannins than the earlier wines, a stem-like flavor
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2003 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average
Rainfall Notes: average
Tasting Note: *in this year Dean moved from corks to screwcap. intense and powerful, prominent tannins, earthy & meaty
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2004 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: some cool lows throughout the year
Rainfall Notes: very low rainfall during the maturation period
Tasting Note: peppers, leather, gamey meats in aromas and taste
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2005 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average with slightly higher than normal temperatures at maturation
Rainfall Notes: average overall, but very dry during the maturation period
Tasting Note: dried fruits, meaty and earthy aroma, rich but with great acidity to balance *my personal favorite of the bunch
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2006 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average, but cooler than normal during the final maturation period
Rainfall Notes: lower than average during maturation season
Tasting Note: meats, green peppers, charcuterie, earthy, a hint of barnyard aromas
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2007 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: some hot temperature spikes
Rainfall Notes: quite high rainfall during maturation period, but overall the year had low rainfall
Tasting Note: this wine was bright and tart, and seemed to have higher acidity than the previous few.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2008 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a couple hot temperatures hit throughout the year
Rainfall Notes: low rainfall throughout the entire year
Tasting Note: 2008 onward seemed to have a different character than the previous years (maybe 2007 and older passed through some sort of aging threshold). This one smelled spicy like quatre epices, nutmeg and vailla. The oak stood out a bit. spicy, and earthy, rich, powerful, and expressive. complex. It will be great to watch this one evolve. *another personal favorite of the group
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2009 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures
Rainfall Notes: average rainfall- more than usual during maturation period
Tasting Note: Dark fruits, cooked orange peels, young and taut, electric acidity.
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2010 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: temperatures were a bit hotter than usual
Rainfall Notes: average rainfall
Tasting Note: rich on the nose and palate, tart acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2011 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: a bit cooler than usual
Rainfall Notes: exceptionally high rainfall- 203.3% higher than the mean during the 5 months of maturation.
Tasting Note: *barrel sample- tart fruit flavors, bright acidity
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre 2012 (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Temperature Notes: average temperatures
Rainfall Notes: slightly higher than normal
Tasting Note: *barrel sample - ripe fruit aromas, quatre epice spiciness, oak very evident on the nose (of course though, as this is a barrel sample).
Later in the week, Dean stopped by Public Restaurant and chatted with our staff about the Old Garden mourvedre, and about his "LuLu" sauvignon blanc, named after his wife.
Bibliography
Robinson, Jancis. (2010) Old Vines Register available on the subscription portion of www.jancisrobinson.com
Barossa Valley Vintage Climate Data Chart 1998-2012
Robinson, Jancis. (2010) Old Vines Register available on the subscription portion of www.jancisrobinson.com
Barossa Valley Vintage Climate Data Chart 1998-2012
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