Hewitson 'Madame M' Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

"Dean Hewitson was a winemaker at Petaluma for 10 years, during which time he managed to do vintages in France and one in Oregon, as well as undertaking his master's at the University of California, Davis. The wines are immaculately made from a technical viewpoint. Dean sources old-vine mourvèdre from Friedrich Koch's Old Garden vineyard, planted in 1853 at Rowland Flat, as well as shiraz and grenache from (up to) 110yo vines in Tanunda and riesling from 30+yo vines in the Eden Valley. Cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, mourvèdre and muscat blanc are estate grown." Halliday Wine Companion Hewitson is a member of Sustainable Wine Growing Australia - a national program for producers, committed to making wine sustainably. "This is a delicious, juicy, succulent, and quite luscious cabernet sauvignon from the Barossa Valley. A feature is its soft suppleness, and yet there is the cabernet structure that pulls it all together. Has a slightly meaty, gamey blackcurrant mid-palate, with a lovely subtle chocolatey mocha character. For me, this is a wine that screams out for drinking in the short term. Just sits beautifully on the palate." 94pts | Ray Jordan