Awards, Ratings & Reviews
96/100 — The Wine Front · 2010 Vintage
94/100 — Jeremy Oliver · 2010 Vintage, Tasted: Jan 2011 (Drink: 2022–2030)
92/100 — CellarTracker · 2010 Vintage
17.5/20 — Jancis Robinson · 2010 Vintage, Tasted: Sep 2013 (Drink: 2014–2025)
About This Wine
The Old Garden vineyard is the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world, planted in 1853 at Rowland Flat. It is dry-grown, pre-phylloxera, and consists of original vines, with eight rows remaining.
The vineyard has been hand-tended and dry-farmed across generations by Friedrich Koch and his descendants. Soils comprise deep sand over limestone, formed from an ancient lake bed.
The wine is produced as a single-vineyard expression from these original vines, using a high proportion of whole bunch fermentation and extended vat time before ageing in new French oak barriques.
About the Winery
Hewitson is an Australian wine producer based in the Barossa Valley on Seppeltsfield Road, established in 1998 by Dean Hewitson. The winery focuses on site-specific and historic vineyards across the Barossa Valley and surrounding regions.
The Old Garden vineyard, first planted in 1853, forms the historical heart of the estate and supplies fruit for Hewitson’s flagship wines.
Specifications
Vintage: 2010
Grape Variety: 100% Mourvèdre
Region: Barossa Valley / South Australia / Australia
Vineyard / Geo Info: Old Garden Vineyard, Rowland Flat; pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1853; sand over limestone soils
Fermentation: 65% whole bunch; 30 days in vat
Maturation: 18 months in new French oak barriques (Remond: Alliers, Tronçais and Bercé forests)
Production Attributes: Old vines
Alcohol: 14.5%
Sweetness: Dry
Winemaker / Ownership: Dean Hewitson
Closure: Screwcap
Drinking Window: 2014–2030