Cirillo Estate
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Few stories in Australian wine are as compelling and legendary as those of Cirillo Estate. Custodians of the oldest continuously producing Grenache and Semillon vineyards in the world (planted in 1848), Marco Cirillo continues the legacy of his father’s years of toil amongst these incredible vine rows in the sand and clay of Light Pass, between Nuriootpa and Angaston. Far from simply relying on the novelty of these ancient vines, Marco actively works to display the outstanding detail and nuance of the fruit from these vineyards.
Cirillo’s wines are not only identifiable for the ancient vineyards used for their production, but the depth of character, elegance and energy packed into each bottle. Layers of complexity that can only come from old vines which for over a century have been tended by hand. Grenache is king here and was well before the variety began again to gain favour in the past few years. Accompanied by a suite of classic Barossa varieties including the equally old-vine 1850 Semillon, the range of Cirillo Estate wines is a bottled representation of the best of modern and ancient Barossa Valley.
2019 Semillon ‘1850 Ancestor Vine’
The 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon comes from the Cirillo Estate in the Barossa Valley, home to the oldest continuously producing Semillon vineyard in the world.
Picked early it captures a fresh and restrained side of the variety with citrus, texture and fine acidity. Marco Cirillo approaches the wine with a light touch, allowing the vineyard’s age and character to speak clearly.
Winemaking
The fruit is hand-harvested early to preserve natural acidity. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, with no oak influence, before early bottling to capture freshness and purity.
Tasting Notes
Pale yellow with green highlights. Aromas of lemongrass, citrus blossom and wet stone lead into a finely structured palate with bright acidity and subtle texture. Taut and refreshing in its youth, with enough depth and balance to reward careful cellaring.
Review
"The 2019 Sémillon 1850 Ancestor Vine, made with fruit from vines planted before 1850, opens up with precise, youthful melon and citrus aromas, plus a distinctive touch of beeswax and lanolin. Lightweight and acid-driven with a well-placed touch of grip, it delivers a textural experience punctuated by zesty acidity through to a silky, fine and surprisingly lengthy finish. It is definitely built to last and worth waiting a decade to enjoy."
93 pts. Angus Hughson, Vinous
2023 Rosato ‘1850 Ancestor Vine’
The Ancestor vineyards in Vine Vale are planted on deep, free-draining golden sands, a soil type that has helped preserve some of the oldest Grenache vines still in production. These basket-pruned vines continue to yield small, concentrated crops each year. The 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache Rosato is made from this fruit, offering an expressive, fruit-saturated take on the style, with greater depth and texture than the typically pale, savoury styles.
Winemaking
The 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache Rosato is made using the saignée method, where a small portion of juice is bled off early from the red ferment to create colour and concentration, resulting in a rosé with more depth and flavour than typical pale styles.
Fermented in stainless steel and bottled early, with minimal handling to preserve freshness and a touch of natural fruit sweetness.
Tasting Notes
Bright raspberry-pink in the glass. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, pomegranate and blackberry lead into a supple, juicy palate with good length and a crisp, dry finish. Fruit-forward and approachable, without losing structure or balance.
2024 Grenache ‘The Vincent’
The Vincent is a tribute from Marco Cirillo to his father, Vincent, who carried forward eight generations of Italian winemaking and grape growing knowledge into the ninth. In the early 1970s, Vincent Cirillo purchased one of Australia’s oldest vineyard sites, including rare Grenache vines planted in 1848.
The Vincent is a bright, approachable Barossa Grenache, made in a fresher style that sits apart from more oak-driven or sweet-fruited interpretations of the region. It pairs well with dishes such as crispy quail with caramel soy sauce and Asian slaw.
Winemaking
With fruit of this quality, intervention is kept to a minimum. As Marco Cirillo puts it: “If you grow it well, it makes itself comfortably without manipulation.” A small portion of whole bunch fermentation is used to build spice and aromatic lift, with gentle maturation in seasoned French oak.
Tasting Notes
Aromas of red cherry, wild blackberry, white pepper, clove and subtle baking spice. The palate is supple and expressive, with fine structure, lifted fruit and a savoury edge. Fresh, aromatic and moreish, with a clean, persistent finish.
Review
"The 2024 Grenache Vincent is bright and generously proportioned, with a slick overall appeal. It has dark cherry and cranberry aromas topped with red licorice and a touch of spice. This is pithy in texture, with good weight and well-managed tannins that keep the 2024 well composed through a finish of impressive length."
92 pts. Angus Hughson, Vinous
2019 Grenache ‘1850 Ancestor Vine’
The fruit is grown on deep, free-draining sandy soils that consistently produce high-quality Grenache. The single vineyard is widely regarded for containing some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world. With this comes a strong sense of stewardship, with the site having been in Marco’s family’s care since the early 1970s.
Winemaking
The wine is matured for 24 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads. Built on concentration and structure, it is one of the few Australian Grenaches capable of rewarding over a decade of cellaring.
Tasting Notes
Bright ruby-garnet in the glass with youthful purple hues. Aromas of red berry fruit, spice and white pepper lead into a generous, expressive palate. Fine structure and bright acidity carry pure varietal fruit through to a long, even finish. A poised, detailed expression of Grenache that can be enjoyed now or with time in bottle.
Review
“This stunning young 2019 Grenache Ancestor vine, from the country’s oldest vines for this variety delivers an almost perfect mix of pristine primary dark cherry and red licorice aromas lifted by layers of mountain herbs, red earth and meat spices with genuine concentration and focus.
Young, compact and still a little shy, it has all the pieces in place with energetic flavours, beautiful composure and refinement yet with a firm base of gravelly tannins before gliding to a pristine finish of astounding length.
With the perfume of the 2017 vintage combined with the density of tannins from a year marked by long periods of dry, warm to hot conditions, this is as good as Barossa Grenache gets and may achieve perfection in time.”
99+ pts. Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot.
2021 Mataro
The Cirillo Mataro is a small-scale expression of Barossa history, drawn from old Mataro material selected within the 1850 Ancestor Grenache vineyard. Cuttings from nine individual vines were propagated in the winery nursery and replanted in 2005 on the Cirillo Estate as dry-grown bush vines. Production is extremely limited, with only around 60 dozen made each year.
Winemaking
Fermented naturally in open vessels and gently basket pressed, the wine is matured for 12 months in seasoned French oak. The aim is minimal influence, allowing the variety and vineyard site to remain the focus. It has the structure and depth to reward 10–20 years of careful cellaring.
Tasting Notes
Generous and finely textured, with dark berry fruit, plum and subtle savoury spice. Notes of cracked black pepper and a gentle meaty, savoury edge sit alongside fine tannins and a dry, balanced finish. A composed, traditional expression of Mataro with real depth and persistence.
2024 Shiraz
Barossa Shiraz is the region’s strongest expression, shaped by long, warm summers and dry growing conditions that build power and concentration in the fruit. The Cirillo Shiraz draws on both high-altitude fruit from the Eden Valley border at Steingarten and estate-grown fruit adjacent to the 1850 Grenache vineyard, combining richness with structure.
Winemaking
Fruit is fermented naturally in open fermenters, then gently basket pressed before maturation in seasoned French and American oak for 10 months. The approach is traditional and restrained, allowing fruit and site to remain central.
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby in colour. Aromas of cocoa, dried mint, dark plum and blackcurrant lead into a layered palate of dark chocolate, vanilla and liquorice spice. The wine is supple and well-proportioned, with ripe fruit balanced by fine, brooding tannins and a long, even finish.