Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine 2015

CIRILLO ESTATE WINES

Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine
2015

Country
Australia
Regulated designation
Table wine
Region
South Australia
Subregion
Barossa
Varietal(s)
Grenache
Colour
Red
Producer's website
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About this winery

Hailing from the sun baked southern Italian region of Calabria, Vincent Cirillo immigrated to South Australia in 1946 with over 400 years of wine making history in the family spanning 9 generations. The Barossa Valley became home in 1842, along with the acquisition of some remarkable vineyards planted in 1848, making them of some of the very first Barossa Valley vines ever planted. These parcels of Grenache and Semillon are now recognised as the oldest surviving and producing examples of these...

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Product notes

The Cirillo Grenache is more about the variety than the oak. The balance between the primary fruit and the acidity make this a beautifully seamless wine that mimics Rhone styles. One of the few Australian Grenaches that will reward over a decade of cellaring.

Tasting notes

Bright crimson and cranberry with aromas of dark berry fruits and spices. Medium to full bodied with flavours of cherry, aniseed, and five spice on the palate. Incredible depth and length on the finish.

Press reviews

Wine Advocate

- 96 points -

September 2023 (Vintage 2017)

The vineyard that is the source for this wine was planted in 1848 and endures today. The vines are bush vines, but some of the vines have single stakes here and there to support the old wood. It's a special place. 2017 was cold and wet in the Barossa and high cropping across the region. This was a challenging combination for many producers; however winemaker Marco Cirillo openly prefers these vintages, and that can only be down to the fact that these old vines are largely self regulating with their yields and growth. So, this 2017 Ancestor Vines 1850 Grenache flows in the mouth with red berries, finely crushed rocks for tannins, tobacco and pepper berry, pastrami, pink peppercorns, raspberry seed and caper brine. It has a lovely flavor arc in the mouth, supple. It is clear, pure, sensational. I love the tannins. It's sapid and palate staining but so light! The wine was matured in a combination of tank and barrel. (Twenty percent of the wine was matured in old wood for just seven months). It then spent five years in tank prior to bottling. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

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Vinous

- 96 points -

Angus Hughson, June 2023 (Vintage 2016)

This 2016 Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine is crafted off the oldest Grenache vineyard in Australia, planted before 1850. The 2016 vintage offers up an ethereal experience radiating with dark cherry, roasted meats, bacon fat and soy sauce aromas and a fine dusting of crushed spices. There is lovely texture and approachability to the wine, although it also remains bound up. In the glass, more meaty, spicy, fennel and coriander seed flavors slowly rise up over fine yet firm tannins - the overall experience is quite seamless. Still young and tightly wound, despite its age, its combination of excellent balance and a long, sustained finish showcases a benchmark Barossan Grenache that will age very well.

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Wine Advocate

- 95 points -

July 2022 (Vintage 2015)

The 2015 Grenache Old Vines 1850 is the current vintage. "They need time," says Marco Cirillo. This is initially very fresh in the mouth, but as the wine travels over the tongue, it carries ironstone and ferrous. It’s very light (both in color and weight), and it’s alive. The tail of flavor through the finish is drawn by pumice stone tannins and chewy phenolics. It’s impressively light framed. It matured in tank for five years prior to bottling. One-third of the blend goes into wood post-ferment for six to 10 months. At least 50% of the wine sees no oak whatsoever. The oak is old and very large. We, the drinkers, have very few reference points for aging wines like this.

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Decanter

- 92 points -

December 2021 (Vintage 2015)

Befitting the extraordinary history of these ancient vines, this incredibly complex wine speaks its own language. The brawny palate extends beyond wild raspberry and black cherry to also embrace liquorice, blackberry and soy sauce with a sprinkle of white pepper and bay leaf. Such concentration is rare in Grenache, although its strong acid seam and supple tannins ensure astonishing length through the hedonistic flavours.

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