Hewitson Monopole Mother Vine Shiraz 2022

Every vine in the Monopole Vineyard descends from a single ancient Shiraz vine planted in 1853 in the middle of Hewitson's Old Garden Vineyard at Rowland Flat — buds grafted over many years into a vineyard of its own in the Dorrien district, resurrecting a pre-phylloxera clone. The 2022 was fermented 45% whole bunches, three weeks on skins with pump-overs, then matured 18 months in new and old French oak. Deep inky red, with dark red rose florals entwined in crimson-to-black fruit, mulberry, raspberry and plum compote, high-cacao chocolate and seamlessly integrated tannins. Winepilot rated it 97 points.

The Monopole Vineyard surrounds the winery at Dorrien. Its soil is the classic Barossa profile of iron-rich terra rossa over clay over limestone. Every vine was grafted from the same 1853 mother, so the block is a single clone from a single source. No one else has it.

Hewitson calls 2022 an excellent vintage but a low-yielding one, and the wine is concentrated for it. At 14 percent it is not a heavy Barossa red. The whole bunches in the ferment sit behind the lifted florals, and the three weeks on skins behind the tannin. The oak is there for structure rather than flavour.

Give it an hour in a decanter if you open it now. Hewitson puts the drinking window at twelve to fifteen years from vintage. Slow-cooked beef, lamb shoulder or a hard aged cheese all sit well beside it.