1891 ANCESTOR VINES SHIRAZ - 2O14 vintage  BACKGROUND  When Thomas Hardy purchased the Upper Tintara Vineyard in McLaren Vale in the late 1870s it heralded the foundation of one of Australia’s greatest winemaking dynasties.  The original winery on the property, later extended and improved by Hardy, was built by the  legendary Dr A.C. Kelly in 1863, the slate mined at nearby Delabole quarry in the Willunga Hills.  WINEMAKING  The 2014 growing season had a wet beginning and then average winter rainfall. A very  dry spring followed and we had no rain after November.  Two heatwaves in January were alleviated by 40mm of rain on the 14th of February  which beautifully freshened the vineyard.  We hand picked about 3/4 tonne of Shiraz from the Ancestor Vines Block on March  6th. The fruit was destemmed and crushed before fermentation in a small open fermenter  for 18 days with hand plunging three times per day. After fermentation was complete,  the wine remained on skins for two weeks before being basket pressed and transferred  to second fill French oak barriques.  The Ancestor Vines Shiraz spent nearly two years in barrel before being fined, filtered  and bottled in February 2016.  The 2014 has been matured in bottle in perfect cellar conditions prior to release.  This wine will drink beautifully upon release but will further reward careful cellaring  for many years to come.  Winemaker  Andrew Hardy  Appellation Blewitt Springs  Variety  Shiraz  Vintage  2014  Production 640 Bottles  Colour  Black with purple hues  Aroma  Blackberry and dark fruits, with hints of  cherry-liquer, fennel and coriander seed.  Palate  Rich, generous and full-bodied. Deep, dark fruits,   opulent and succulent. Fine, supple tannins lead through  to a persistently long finish.  TECH  Alc: 14.5% | T/A 5.7 g/L | pH 3.56  

• Wine Pilot

  98 Points

  Not often you get a new release that is nine years old. Not often you get a wine that is this good. Comes from the original 1891 vines on the family vineyard. There is quite a bit of hands on in the making here, including thrice daily hand plunging. It was then matured in old French oak for two years. It resulted in a beautifully supple and expressive wine revealing some nice chocolate, dusty library book and cedary characters that are part of its move into a secondary stage of development. Traces of coffee bean, licorice and nutmeg. A terrific wine.

  Wine Pilot, 01 Nov 2023

• 97Points

  Wine Pilot

  97 Points

  Deep maroon. The nose is endless chocolate, coffee beans, cigar box notes, blackberries, cassis and mocha. There is some vanillin oak evident as well. This is rich, plush and with a cushiony texture, right through to satiny tannins. Such a long finish. There is a glorious explosion of chocolate on the finish of the palate. This has good age already but will easily provide pleasure for at least another ten to twenty years. Stunning stuff.

  Wine Pilot, 01 Oct 2023

• 97Points

  This is rich, plush and with a cushiony texture, right through to satiny tannins.

  97 Points

  The grapes here were sourced from the original 1891 vines from the family vineyard, which were planted by one of Australian wine’s great names, Thomas Hardy, Andrew's great-great-grandfather. The grapes are from the top 17 rows of vines. They were destemmed into a one tonne open fermenter, hand plunged thrice daily, before spending almost 24 months in old French oak barriques and then time in bottle before release. Only 640 bottles made. Great to see a wine which has been given this length of time ageing in the winery cellars before release to the public. Deep maroon. The nose is endless chocolate, coffee beans, cigar box notes, blackberries, cassis and mocha. There is some vanillin oak evident as well. This is rich, plush and with a cushiony texture, right through to satiny tannins. Such a long finish. There is a glorious explosion of chocolate on the finish of the palate. This has good age already, but will easily provide pleasure for at least another ten to twenty years. Stunning stuff.

  Wine Pilot, 30 Nov 2023

• 96Points

  The Vintage Journal

  96 Points

  Medium deep crimson. Fragrant dark plum, dark red cherry, praline aromas with roasted chestnut, wood varnish notes. Generously concentrated with unfolding dark plum, dark cherry, blackberry fruits, sinuous but muscular firm tannins, lovely mid palate density and underly mocha, hint marzipan notes. Becomes more minerally at final approach, with a fine loose knit tannin plume. Excellent wine showing power and elegance. Drink now – 2036

  The Vintage Journal, 28 Feb 2023

• 96Points

  The Real Review

  96 Points

  Full ruby to brick-red colour, showing appropriate aged development. The bouquet echoes this, with pepper/spice aromas of a cooler iteration of shiraz, backed by generous oak, the palate medium bodied and smoothly textured, with lovely fruit sweetness and mellow aged characters coming through nicely. Lovely balance, mouth-feel and length. Drinking well now and has years ahead of it. Delicious.

  The Real Review, 30 Nov 2023

• 95Points

  Wine Pilot

  95 Points

  Excellent purity of vibrant fruit to be found in this 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz, released at 9 years of age. Musky plums, licorice and new leather aromas with plenty of sweet oak in close support. A dry and firm palate follows with perfumed old vine flavours, that linger beautifully over a strong finish accented by gravelly tannins. Superbly approachable but with plenty in the tank 95 2025-2026

  Wine Pilot, 01 Sep 2023

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  the richness, power and glory are all front and centre

  18.5/20

  After the extraordinarily refreshing talents of the 2015, this battle-axe of a 2014 feels like everyone’s favourite diplodocus. Old-school, muscular, and hearty, this is the vinous equivalent of running into Oliver Reed in your local and then being treated to a 48-hour sesh of him recounting his finest cinematic moments accompanied by flagons of earthy, almanac-soaked Shiraz. It is fascinating how in tune these ancestor vines are with their surroundings, and in 2014, the richness, power and glory are all front and centre, while freshness and lift seem somewhat crowded out. Drinking beautifully already, while this wine will undoubtedly roll along for a decade or more, I would catch it now before it ambles to a halt.

  matthewjukes.com, 30 Nov 2023