2022 Hewitson The Mad Hatter Shiraz, Barossa Valley

This delicious offering shows rich blackberry upfront with toasted spice, vanillin oak and rich floral notes, leading to a silky-smooth palate displaying plump mouthfeel backed by finely infused tannins, finishing long and velvety. At its best: now to 2036. 

95 points Sam Kim wineorbit.co.nz

 This is now based on a selection of the best vineyards and 2021 provided plenty of goodies to play around with. It is such a beautifully smooth and almost effortless wine bursting with red fruits with a sprinkle of pepper and spices working with a trace of liqueur cherry. It gets about 16 months in one and two-year-old French oak and the predominant use of whole bunches has contributed to that delicious palate mix and presentation.

95 points Ray Jordan winepilot.com

Deep ruby red with purple hues. Intense raspberry and black fruits. Rich red and black fruits, integrated fruit and barrel tannins.

Mad Hatter is not a reference to Alice in Wonderland, rather it is the nickname Dean Hewitson's closest friends have called him for many years. And why mad? Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with Hewitson will surely be able to explain. Wine with breeding-responsive, evolutionary winemaking that's never locked into a formula. A blend of Shiraz, chosen from premium parcels of fruit each year to best express the quality of vintage.