|
NOTES
In 1853 Friedrich Koch planted this Mourvèdre vineyard in the heart of the Barossa Valley in the area now known as Rowland Flat. Nurtured in deep sand over a bed of limestone the vines flourished. By the 1880s the local vignerons had already acknowledged the vineyard as the Old Garden. To the end of the 19th Century, throughout the 20th Century and now into the 21st Century subsequent generations of Koch's family have tended these vines in the traditions of the Barossa: bush vines, no irrigation, hand pruned and hand harvested. Today nothing has changed. Old Garden is likely to be the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world.
The 2006 vintage in the Barossa Valley saw some early rain in the season followed by long stretches of warm weather. Traditionally one of the very last vineyards to be picked in the Barossa Valley, the fruit from the from the Old Garden was left on the vines until late May ensuring full development of their flavour profiles while also softening the tannins.
TASTING NOTES
The wine was matured in 100% new French barriques for 15 months providing structure, while complimenting the grape tannin and the terroir-based flavour profile of black, glazed cherries, dark chocolate, mocha and coffee that manifests itself each year in this single vineyard wine. This demonstrates the remarkable nature of the vineyard and is why we are proud to produce a wine of such iconic distinctiveness.
2006 Old Garden Mourvédre will age beautifully for at least 10 years and is very much reminiscent of the 1998 vintage.
OTHER REVIEWS
"The current-release 2006 Old Garden Mourvèdre (A$50/NZ$65) is flush with chocolate, mint, leather and blackberry fruit flavours, and there are damn delicious flashes of spice and orange-rind. This wine is matured in 100 per cent new French oak, and is drinking beautifully even as a youngster. It is worth every cent of its asking price." Campbell Mattinson, Gourmet Traveller WINE – June 2008
"Some mad folks reckon that Mourvedre is the Barossa Valley's best performing red grape. A couple of recent tastings have made me think the mad folks aren't far wrong."
2006 RELEASE
"Part of the price is rarity - this is picked off a very small patch of the world's oldest living Mourvedre vines (planted in 1853) - but the quality too is extremely high. It's like a good, rich South Australian Shiraz complete with all the dark fruited treats you'd expect, with an X-factor attached. Describing that X-factor isn't easy, but it has something to do with the orange rind, spice-box and old dry tobacco flavours that cavort through the wine. It's marvellous to admire, but even better to drink. DRINK: 2011-2019." 96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Big Red Wine Book – May 2008
"Hewitson's Old Garden Mourvedre is one of the gems of Australian wine. It's made from grapes grown on vines reputed to be the oldest mourvedre vines in the world - over 160 years old - and it's bottled as a single variety, to show its character unbridled and unfettered. In this spirit it was made with only 30 per cent new oak in its early years, though as time went on Dean Hewitson saw that the flavours were so bold and strong that they could cope with, and be enhanced by, a greater per cent of new oak. In the spectacular 2002 vintage Hewitson put the wine in 100 per cent new French oak, and it tasted divine. Ever since then 100 per cent new oak has been the norm.
And it's a beautiful norm. This wine is both unique, and top class - a beautiful marriage. The following notes are from a ten year vertical tasting held in Dean Hewitson's kitchen in Adelaide recently. I've tasted most of these wines over the years, but I have not referred back to previous notes - these are simply my impressions of the wines as of now." 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront – May 2008
"In the heart of the Barossa lies "the old garden", home to the oldest mourvèdre vines on the planet. Knee-high, gnarled and wizened, these viticultural Yodas offer up tiny yields of intense fruit that show you into the grape's black heart. This wine has aromas of blackberry, grilled game and dried orange. It's supple through the palate with tightly textured tannins." Nick Ryan, Men’s Style Australia – March 2008
Deep and brooding with dark fruit, liquorice, roast nuts. plenty of spicy mocha oak and smelling of the warm earth in which it was grown. On the palate rich and full bodied with black fruit, nuts, leather, dark chocolate and spice flavours - all distinctly adult and savoury although there is no shortage of ripe sweet fruit so it's not without a softer side. The tannins are ripe and plentiful but not intrusive and the finish is gloriously long. It's a complete wine - magnificent and distinctive." 95 Points Gary Walsh, Winorama – February 2008
|
