2025 Head Wines Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa

For this vintage, Alex found that he had a surfeit of options. 2025 was a good year for the older vines. From Ebenezer, planted in the 1950s, the Mengler’s Hill Block 8B and 12, which were planted in the 1960s, and the Mattschloss Trial Hill Vineyard planted in the 1940s, Alex has crafted this wine. He included a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Ebenezer vineyard as well. Fermentation was in French oak barriques for eleven months, just 10% of them new. It is clear that Alex is very excited with this wine (so he should be). 500 cases made. For me, this was the pick of the latest collection released by Alex. Loved it. Black/opaque purple in colour with a vibrant dark magenta edge. A soft and cuddly style, generous and approachable, aromas weave through chocolate, soy, cloves, mocha, coffee beans, mulberries, plums and licorice. There is fresh acidity running the length and the entire thing is just delicious. If you love Barossa Valley Reds, this is for you and it represents brilliant value. Soft in texture but chock full of flavour. For enjoying over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink to 2041.

96 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Alex Head follows a negociant model of working with select growers rather than farming his own vineyards. This has allowed him to spend years understanding the characteristics of the varied sites of the Barossa while refining his winemaking style: some retention of stems, ferments using indigenous yeasts, minimal sulphur throughout the wine-making process, and bottling without fining or filtration.

This vine is a blend of old vine vineyards planted from the 1940s to 1960s across the Barossa (70%) and Eden (30%) Valleys: Ebenezer, Mengler’s Hill and Mattschoss Trial Hill. The 2025 season was dry and warm, producing excellent, rich fruit across the region. The final wine includes a small 5% component of Ebenezer Cabernet Sauvignon.

For Alex, the Old Vine is not an exercise in ripeness. Fermentation took place in open top fermenters over two weeks, followed by a 11-month maturation on fine lees in a mix of French oak barrels, only 10% of which were new. The aim was for the richness and sweetness of old vine fruit to remain the focus, and for the wine to be approachable and elegant even in its youth.

Chocolate and a rich array of dark fruit meet you on the nose that also displays notes of dark soy sauce, licorice and cloves. The palate is soft and plush, with the rich and dense fruit kept fresh by bright acidity and powdery tannins.

Drinking well already on release and likely to cellar well for a decade or more. The wine would be delicious textural treat with red braised pork belly, with a bit of crunch from a garlic chive and bean sprout stir-fry.