Hayes Family Shiraz Ancestor Vine 2019

Hayes Family Wines is a small, family-owned producer based in Stone Well, on the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley. Founded by Brett Hayes and helmed by winemaker Andrew Seppelt — a Barossa veteran with over 25 years' experience, including a stint as GM and winemaker at Torbreck — the label is built on old, dry-grown vineyards farmed with minimal intervention, letting each site and vintage speak for itself. The Estate Vineyard is Certified Organic and Certified Sustainable, and Hayes has carried a five-star rating in the James Halliday Wine Companion every year since launching.

This comes from the old Becker Block in Koonunga, in the Barossa's Northern reaches — vines thought to have been planted in either the 1860s or 1870s (documentation from that era is scarce, but the block was part of the Becker family's original 1893 purchase). 

The vines here are believed to have been planted in the 1860s or 1870s, though no formal records survive from that era. The block was part of the Becker family's original 1893 purchase, and the Becker family farmed it right through until 2020, when management passed to Adrian Hoffmann (of Ebenezer fame), whose family now oversees the block. At over 125 years old, the vines qualify under the Barossa Old Vine Charter's "Ancestor Vine" category — the oldest classification the Charter recognises.

This is classic Northern Barossa Shiraz: a bright purple-red hue, powerful black and blue fruit, full-bodied, with dense fruit balanced by abundant natural tannin. In strong vintages, the winemaker notes these old vines simply "make the most of the season." Fermentation and ageing use a traditional, old-school approach, including a portion of new American oak.

Deep purple in colour, with rich blueberry and blackberry fruit, earth and spice, and real generosity on the palate — full and ripe, backed by a firm line of fine tannin. A convincingly midnight nose shows hints of black tea and petrichor, dried mint and blueberry, star anise, dark chocolate and even a whisper of clove; the palate is chocolatey (think after-dinner mints), intense, earthy and gravelly, with a flowing core of tannin that coats the tongue right through the finish. Hayes Family Wines describe it as "just starting its journey" on release — a wine built to improve for many years.