Cirillo Estate Wines

The Cirillo family wine heritage stretches back nine generations across more than 400 years in Italy. Vincent Cirillo emigrated from Calabria in southern Italy to South Australia in 1946 as part of the post-war Italian migration to the Barossa. In 1970, Vincent purchased what would become one of Australia's most significant heritage vineyard sites: a parcel of severely neglected, gnarled old bush vines in the Light Pass area near Vine Vale, planted in 1848. When the Australian government launched the Vine Pull Scheme in the 1980s, paying growers to uproot old vines deemed commercially obsolete, Vincent refused and continued tending the 1848 block by hand. For more than 50 years, Vincent and his son Marco were the sole caretakers of these ancient vines. Marco Cirillo released the first wines under the Cirillo Estate label in 2003, building the estate's reputation on uncompromising old-vine Grenache and Semillon. His winemaking philosophy reflects what he describes as three cultures: his Australian identity, his Italian family heritage, and his affinity for the southern Rhône.

• Vincent Cirillo emigrated from Calabria to South Australia in 1946; family wine heritage spans 9 generations and 400-plus years
• 1970: Vincent purchased the neglected 1848 vineyard in Light Pass and began restoring it by hand
• 1980s: Vincent refused the Vine Pull Scheme that cleared much of the Barossa's old-vine heritage
• 2003: Marco Cirillo released the first wines under the Cirillo Estate label; sole caretaker with his late father for over 50 years

The Cirillo Ancestor Vine vineyard is one of the most historically significant vineyard sites in the wine world. Planted in 1848 on the deep sandy soils of the old Seigersdorf area (now within the Light Pass and Vine Vale subzones of the northeast Barossa Valley), the site totals approximately 5.2 hectares of pre-1850 plantings: predominantly Grenache, plus a one-hectare block of Semillon (the old Madeira clone) and a small interplanted population of Mataro vines. The vines are dry-grown bush vine trained on their own ungrafted rootstocks; Australia's strict quarantine has protected the Barossa from phylloxera throughout its history. Marco employs basket pruning, an old Calabrian technique his father brought from Italy, and farms organically. Yields are extremely low, producing small concentrated berries with intense varietal character. The site is recognised under the Barossa Old Vine Charter as Ancestor Vine, the highest of four classifications reserved for vines 125 years and older. The Grenache block is widely cited as the oldest continuously producing Grenache vineyard in the world, and the Semillon block as the oldest continuously producing Semillon vineyard in the world.

• Planted 1848 on sandy soils of the historic Seigersdorf area (Light Pass and Vine Vale, northeast Barossa)
• Approximately 5.2 hectares total: predominantly Grenache, one-hectare Semillon (Madeira clone), small Mataro population
• Bush vine trained, dry-grown, ungrafted (phylloxera-free Barossa); basket pruning, organic farming
• Barossa Old Vine Charter: Ancestor Vine (top tier, 125-plus years); oldest continuously producing Grenache and Semillon vineyards in the world

Marco Cirillo's winemaking philosophy is deliberately low-intervention and traditional, designed to express the unique character of the Ancestor Vine fruit. Fruit from the 1848 Grenache block is hand-harvested into small bins, with a meaningful whole-bunch component depending on vintage. Fermentation takes place in open vessels with native yeasts, and the wine is gently basket pressed and aged in old French oak with new oak essentially absent. Marco emphasises that the character of vines approaching 180 years old should not be obscured by new wood. The 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon is handpicked early to retain high natural acidity, basket pressed, and tank fermented without oak, allowing the lemongrass and mineral character of the ancient Madeira clone to express directly. The Shiraz is made from high-altitude vines at Steingarten on the border of the Barossa and Eden Valley ranges. The Mataro is a tribute to the Barossa's old clonal heritage, with cuttings taken from nine individual vines found interplanted among the 1848 Grenache block.

• Hand-harvested, native yeast fermentation in open vessels; basket pressed; aged in old French oak with essentially no new wood
• 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon: handpicked early for natural acidity, basket pressed, tank fermented without oak
• Shiraz sourced from high-altitude Steingarten vines on the Barossa and Eden Valley ridge border
• Mataro: cuttings propagated from nine individual vines found interplanted in the 1848 Grenache block

Cirillo Estate's flagship is the 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache, sourced exclusively from the 1848 block. The wine shows the characteristic Vine Vale old-vine Grenache profile: lifted aromatics of red strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs, and floral lift; a medium-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins, bright natural acidity, and a long savoury finish. The wine is more elegant and aromatic than warmer-climate Grenache from Priorat or many southern Rhône expressions, reflecting the distinctive Vine Vale climate and sandy soils. The 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon shows lemon pith, lemongrass, orange blossom, and pronounced mineral character with crystalline acidity, capable of aging gracefully for up to 20 years and developing toast, lanolin, and honey complexity. The Vincent Grenache, named in tribute to Marco's father, sources from younger Rowland Flat vines and offers an accessible entry to the house style. The Shiraz from Steingarten high-altitude fruit shows structured cool-climate definition, while the Mataro reflects the small-parcel character of old-vine Barossa bush-vine Mourvedre.

• 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache: flagship; strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs, floral lift; medium-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity
• 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon: lemon pith, lemongrass, orange blossom, mineral; pronounced acidity; up to 20 years aging potential
• Vincent Grenache: tribute to Marco's father; younger Rowland Flat vines; accessible house-style entry
• Shiraz from high-altitude Steingarten vines; Mataro from nine old vines interplanted in the 1848 Grenache block

Cirillo Estate's 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache occupies a central position in the Australian Grenache renaissance of the 2010s and 2020s. The variety, long dismissed in Australia as the source of cheap fortified wine or blending filler, has been comprehensively reassessed over the past two decades through the work of producers including Cirillo, Yangarra Estate, S.C. Pannell, Hewitson, and others who demonstrated the potential of old-vine, low-intervention Grenache from the Barossa and McLaren Vale. The Cirillo 1850 Grenache is widely cited as the Australian benchmark: the wine proved that old-vine Grenache could produce wines of structure, longevity, aromatic refinement, and Burgundian elegance. The Cirillo story also exemplifies the broader Barossa Old Vine Charter philosophy, which formalised the protection of pre-phylloxera heritage plantings in 2009 by classifying vines into four age tiers (Old Vine 35-plus years, Survivor 70-plus, Centenarian 100-plus, and Ancestor 125-plus). The Cirillo vineyard is the textbook Ancestor Vine site, anchoring the world's understanding of what truly ancient Grenache and Semillon can produce.

• 1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache widely cited as the Australian benchmark of the Grenache renaissance
• Renaissance led by Cirillo alongside Yangarra Estate, S.C. Pannell, Hewitson, and other Barossa and McLaren Vale producers
• Old-vine Grenache demonstrated to produce wines of structure, longevity, and Burgundian aromatic refinement
• Barossa Old Vine Charter (founded 2009): Old Vine 35-plus, Survivor 70-plus, Centenarian 100-plus, Ancestor 125-plus years