2022 Wirra Wirra Church Block Half Bottle 375mL, McLaren Vale

Please note: this is a 375mL size of the wine half bottle

A vintage that marks an incoming winemaker and a culling of lesser quality fruit. Cabernet and shiraz, the Aussie archetype. Consummate, medium-bodied and savory, with better tannin management than what I recall of past vintages. Bay leaves, currants and iodine, with licorice tannins serving as gentle directives to good, supple length. An everyday claret for the sophisticate, with a strong maritime feel. Drink or hold.

93 points James Suckling, February 2024

A wine that marks 50 years since Greg Trott produced the first Church Block back in 1972. Smooth dark chocolate laced plummy fruit on the nose with a slightly spicy white peppery lift. The palate is supple and smooth with its medium body delivering through to a sustained finish. It’s such a friendly and approachable wine, just as Trott intended. Drink to 2029.

92 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, October 2024

Deep ruby colour, bright in the glass. Nose lifts with classic aromas of blackcurrant and tomato leaf. Fruit is plush and enveloping in the core but doesn’t sit overtly. Bramble, cola and smoked meat notes all reside in harmony there as well, then tannins offer a sense of tension and carry. Good length and it finishes with not a hair out of place. Great value. Drink to 2034.

91 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, September 2024

A blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot, 51/42/7%. The Wirra Wirra worker bee, this does what Church Block typically does: deliver ample flavour and fruit plushness but with a measure of structure and freshness that makes it a great all-rounder, a friend to many foods and weighted to invite a second glass. Brambly red fruits, leafiness, cracked pepper, dark berry notes, a sweet-fruited mid-palate, and a nice grip to close. It's a fine release. Drink to 2030.

91 points Special Value Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, February 2024

More about this wine

The parcels of grapes were vinified separately. Gently crushed and destemmed, fermentation took place in small open stainless-steel fermenters with initial ferments kept at 20–22°C and peaking at 25–28°C, with pump-overs two to four times each day. Malolactic fermentation took place across stainless steel and various oak barrels, with individual parcels selected for a 12-month maturation in seasoned and new French and American oak based on structural power.

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 womens 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.