Hewitson Cask 66 Shiraz 2023
Hewitson Cask 66 Shiraz 2023
$450, 13.5% alcohol, cork, Barossa Valley.
The Hewitson winery is at 66 Seppeltsfield Road, hence the 66 name. This wine is from a vintage that was the coolest (temperature-wise) of the past decade. It’s a velvety wine with clear complex inflections and more than enough fruit to satisfy, without being anywhere near overdone. Indeed the flavour profile here has more than a little intrigue to it. Dried herbs, soy, anise, sweet plums, iodine and smoked meat characters all contribute. The iodine notes are particularly apparent, in a positive sense. The tannin feels as though it’s going to play an assertive role but then sinks straight down into the belly of fruit; always a good sign. This wine is at one with itself. It’s complex, so be warned. But the quality here is excellent. 95 points.
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Campbell Mattinson is the former Chief Editor of Halliday, and is the founder of The Winefront. He’s authored six books, has won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year award twice, and has been a journalist since 1987. He is also a commercial photographer.
