2022 Wirra Wirra Chook Block Shiraz, McLaren Vale

From a '60s-planted block, named in honour of its proximity to the late, great Greg Trott’s chook sheds, this is a fine follow up to the '21. That neat sequence is not typical, with many vintages skipped. It’s an apex bottling after all. A cooler year, yet this is intense and concentrated, with a skirmish of brambly fruits – boysenberry a lead – with tapenade, blue florals, leather, potpourri, high-cocoa chocolate and a saline, mineral heartbeat. It’s got some classical styling, handled with modern aplomb. Drink to 2038.

96 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2025

A traditional McLaren Vale shiraz with plenty of generosity and brawn, showing aromas of black fruit, leather, olive brine, violets, coffee beans, blueberry confit and crushed stones. The palate is full-bodied with a seamlessly integrated mouthfeel, fine tannins and bright acidity in complete harmony, finishing with both freshness and power. Made from vines planted in 1960 and farmed biodynamically. Delicious. Drink or hold.

96 points James Suckling, August 2025

The 2022 Chook Block Shiraz hails from a lovely, mild season in McLaren Vale, one that has yielded wines of succulence, poise and balance. The fruit for this wine was planted in 1960 and comes from the estate-owned Chook Block vineyard, so named after its proximity to Greg Trott's chook pens on the neighboring property. Aromatically, the wine leads with dark fruits, dark chocolate and cardamom pod, while the palate shows a plethora of tannin that weave in and out of the fruit. Tapenade and star anise abound. The wine is firm, structural and a little drying on the finish, although the length of flavor tells a story all of its own. Drink to 2037.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2025

More about this wine

The fruit for the 2022 Chook Block comes from ten rows within Wirra Wirra’s Sandhill vineyard. The old vines of the Chook Block were planted in 1960 and grow in bleached sand topsoil over subsurface sandy loam, with red brown impervious clay and patches of limestone underneath. They are trained along single wires into an open, sprawling canopy.

The grapes were hand-harvested, crushed and destemmed to a single open fermenter. The ferment was tasted daily to determine the level of hand plunging and maceration required to enhance the distinct earthy, savoury power of the site, the wine basket pressed and cut to capture the finest tannin. After pressing, the wine was transferred to five oak barrels of which a single French barrique was new, to complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked and returned several times during a 18-month oak maturation.

About Wirra Wirra

Wirra Wirra was established in 1894 by Robert Strangways Wigley. Having fallen into disrepair after his death in 1926, it was resurrected by Greg Trott, who with his cousin along with his cousin Roger Trott bought the property in 1969. They restored the historic ironstone cellars and revived what is now one of Australia’s most loved names in wine.

The Wirra Wirra team passes by a large slate installation as they enter the winery, inscribed by Greg’s mantra: Never give misery an even break, nor bad wine a second sip. You must be serious about quality, dedicated to your task in life, especially winemaking, but this should all be fun.

Today, the much-enlarged estate vineyards across McLaren Vale are complemented by fruit from long-term growers in the Adelaide Hills, with vineyard work managed by a team lead by viticulturist Anton Groffen. The original estate vineyards around the winery, as well as those the team manages, are certified organic and biodynamic.

The ladies rule back at the winery, with chief winemaker Emma Wood working closely with Kelly Wellington and Grace Wang. Each wine in the Wirra Wirra portfolio has a defined style but with allowance for vintage variation. The stylistic thread across the wines is a balance of generosity and elegance.