Description
Winemaker Alex Head’s dream to make elegant Barossa wines began in 1999 while travelling through some of Europe’s greatest wine growing regions, along with his longheld fascination with the synergy of good wine, fine food and happy company at the table. Head Wines is all that and more.
Alex follows a traditional négociant model, an old practice where the winemaker does not grow their own grapes, instead working with a number of small growers. Around three-quarters of the grapes that end up in Head Wines’ bottles are sourced from a carefully chosen selection of these elevated Eden Valley sites. All of these vineyards are farmed sustainably using organic principles where possible; yields are controlled and grapes are hand-picked.
Not being tied to his own vineyards has allowed Alex to spend years understanding the strengths and weaknesses of a number of sites in pursuit of his individual style. Alex creates great Barossan wines that are memorably balanced whilst pursuing styles that are intentional and truly of place. This is sublime winemaking.
“Some say I have a contrary approach. But my motivation is simple. Old World wines captivate me and no place lets me express that better than the Barossa.” Alex Head
About this wine and the vintage from the winemaker: “Head Wines now works with a diverse range of up to 20 different Shiraz vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. To be considered part of ‘The Blonde’ a vineyard must perform amongst the few top vineyards each year and have well defined perfumes, textures and supple tannins.
For 2022, ‘The Blonde’ came from a vineyard planted in the ‘Barossa Ranges’ of the Eden Valley GI. The Shiraz (at 450m elevation) was planted in 1962 on an eastwest downwards slope protected by the afternoon sun. The soils are granitic and sandy over limestone and clay. A small addition of co-fermented Viognier (planted nearby) filled out the palate and completed the wines delicate tannin profile. It is worth noting that I am trying to pursue finesse and elegance with this wine, always thinking about how to make the wine better, not bigger. The only additions made to this wine were 20% new oak and I hope you feel the same uninterrupted flow, harmony and pleasantness that I feel it should convey.” Alex Head
Top 50 Australian Wineries for 2023 by The Real Review.
96 points, Ned Goodwin for JamesSuckling “The suite of wine from Alex Head gets better each year. While this is full-bodied in terms of extract and alcohol, it is vibrant, subtly reductive, detailed and immaculately poised, making for effortless drinking. Limestone soils impart a je ne saisquoi tension to a whirl of white pepper, clove, boysenberry, deli meats and lilac. Yet what makes this so impressive is the combination of tannin, juicy freshness and confident oak handling, all boding well for cellaring.”
95 points, Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion “.. Deep magenta-splashed crimson in hue. Aromas of ripe, juicy plum and boysenberry fruits with secondary fruity tones of nectarine and apricot flitting in and out of the olfactory periphery. Hints of five-spice, teacake, olive tapenade, citrus blossom, earth, vanillin oak, graphite and pressed flowers. A voluptuous fruit presence, powdered granitic tannins and a gorgeous outflow of ripe, spiced plummy fruit that slowly fades.”
94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front“… Lots of fragrance and jasmine perfume, blue and black fruit, some creamy spiced oak and pimento, and maybe a little dried apricot too, cocoa and mint.. It’s supple and composed, the tannin feels ripe and pixelated, dried raspberry and sage, kind of meaty too, but succulent with it, and there’s a brightness, and an almost white wine bite to acidity, though that’s largely a function of youth. The finish is neatly matted with tannin, and all up, it’s a lovely expression of Rhone meets Barossa, which I guess is kind of the intent. Very good.”
93 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “Medium-deep intensity of colour, very attactive bush underbrush aroma, some smoky reduction and plummy/berry fruit as well. Spice building with airing. As it enters the mouth, a power of flavour and tannin impresses. A big, brawny wine with some alcohol warmth and fleshy rich texture, finishing with supple balanced tannins. A very smart modern shiraz.”
RRP $64 Our Special Price $49.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
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