2023 Head Wines Ancestor Vine Grenache, Eden Valley

Medium deep crimson. Fragrant chinotto, raspberry pastille red liquorice aromas. Well concentrated raspberry cola, mulberry fruits, firm chalky tannins and some cedar/ roasted walnut notes. Still in parts but will develop well. Drink to 2036.

95+ points Andrew Caillard for The Vintage Journal

Deep red tinged with purple; dominant vanilla ice-cream aroma at first, some oak suspected, then ironstone/graphite mineral notes, while the palate is firm and tensioned, with red berries, subtle spices, freshening acidity and a drying finish of substantial length. A solid, honest glass of full-bodied, concentrated grenache which is guaranteed to have a long and productive lifespan. Drink to 2043.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, July 2025

Alex’s elite version of Grenache, the fruit is from a 167-year-old vineyard near Springton in the Eden Valley, which sits at an altitude of 400 metres above sea level. This places it in the coolest and driest parts of the Valley. Yield was just half a tonne per acre. A portion, just 10%, of whole bunches were included in the ferment, which was with wild yeasts. Maturation was for a year in an old Austrian puncheon. Just 756 bottles made. A vibrant crimson hue, there are spicy notes with aromas of red fruits, strawberries, cherries, a flick of aniseed, bay leaves and cranberries. This is an elegant style of Grenache, with a silky texture, good focus, really impressive length and an intensity which hovers under the radar but is always there. A beautiful Grenache for drinking over the next decade. Drink to 2035.

95 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, June 2025

Deep crimson with characters of satsuma plum, red cherry and dark berry fruits, hints of exotic spice, black tea, gingerbread, purple florals, dried meats, crushed rock and gentle crushed herbs. Finely structured with nicely poised red and dark fruits, an array of spice and exotic nuance and an understorey of fine, powdery granitic tannin, finishing sustained with bright sour-cherry acidity and an elegant line. Drink to 2040.

94+ points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

Alex Head follows a negociant model of working with select growers rather than farming his own vineyards. This has allowed him to spend years understanding the characteristics of the varied sites of the Barossa while refining his winemaking style: some retention of stems, ferments using indigenous yeasts, minimal sulphur throughout the wine-making process, and bottling without fining or filtration.

The Ancestor Vine Grenache celebrates a 167-year-old Springton vineyard at 420 metre elevation on sandy loams and decomposed granite over yellow clays. The 2023 was a mild, humid season ending with a very late harvest and unusually high natural acidity in fruit. The organically grown fruit was fermented cool in stainless steel: most as destemmed whole berries, 10% whole bunch. Hand plunged twice daily for two weeks. The wine matured for 11 months in an old Austrian oak Stockinger puncheon and rested a year in bottle before release.

Intriguing aromas of dark botanicals, oolong tea and core of sweet red spice. The palate trades primary fruit for a complex, savoury mix of red fruit, amaro and liquorice. The concentrated and harmonious flavours are wrapped in graphite notes and a refreshing tension stretching along the long palate.

Invite fellow wine-obsessed friends over to share a bottle over oolong-smoked five spice duck.