A Tribal Winery Review
This is the first of my posts where I will focus on a particular producer, or winery, depending on the country in question. Today we're in Australia, in the wonderful region of McLaren Vale. Easily one of my favourite regions in Australia, it's predominately known for Grenache blends and Shiraz, although many varieties are grown there. The Winery I'm focussing on today is Wirra Wirra. Right in the middle of the region, the winery certainly has its quirks - whether it's ringing a 3/4 tonne bell, or hurling watermelons from medieval looking siege warfare machines. Luckily the history and - above all - the quality of the wines produced mean that quirks like these definitely add to the experience rather than detracting.
Emma Wood is the chief winemaker, and she sources fruit from selected growers across the Vale, and (for some of the white wine varieties) from the neighbouring region of Adelaide Hills.
Built in the 1960s as a Winery by Greg Trott, the history of the site is remarkable. Stories about an eccentric cricketer building the original homestead after having to run away from an embarrassing family scoundrel are just some of the lore that can be shared by the always friendly and knowledgeable team.
Turning to the wine range, I will talk about the red wines predominately. I have tried the white range, but not in enough depth or detail to do it justice. The reds I have tried in depth, in detail and in quite some quantity. Ok, no use trying to hide the poind, I've drunk a lot of them.
Any conversation about Red wine at Wirra Wirra has to begin with Church Block. On my first visit to the Wirra Wirra winery 20 odd years ago, I over heard a conversation between winemaker and staff member. The gist of the instruction was "we only have one rule here, don't mess up the Church Block whatever you do".
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, the wine is subtle yet powerful. The 2024 blend is 51/42/7 percent respectively. I recently had a 2010 blended at 50/32/28 and a 2013 that was 50/37/13 - the blend varies, but the wine is generally very consistent, a testament to the skill of the winemakers. I refer to this as an "Australianised" Bordeaux blend. Where classic left bank Bordeaux may be Cab Sav blended with Merlot or Cab Franc, Australia has embraced the Shiraz/Cabernet blend to an extent not seen elsewhere. At $25 a bottle cellar door, and $20 a bottle from leading major retailers, it's difficult to get a better Australian Bordeaux blend for anywhere near this price. The closest in style may well be the Cape Naturaliste Torpedo Rocks, but that retails for well over $70 a bottle. The Scarpantoni School Block, produced "just down the road" from Wirra Wirra in Mclaren Vale is similarly priced to the Church Block, but to me quite a different expression of the style.
The other Red wines at Wirra Wirra are also worth discussing. I recently tried a side-by-side comparison of their Grenache trio of Farmer's Heart ($25) Flower Vineyard ($50) and Absconder ($80). The Absconder is always a sensational wine - belonging to the premium range at Wirra Wirra of Absconder (Grenache), RSW (Shiraz) and Angelus (Cab Sav). The Farmer's heart is an excellent, slightly lighter, style of Grenache that I cannot recommend highly enough at that price point. I'm not honestly sure where the Flower Vineyard sits in comparison to the other two. For my money it seems over the odds at twice the price of the Farmer's - but I have only tried it in the context of comparison, so I may well be doing it an injustice. The RSW and Angelus are also excellent wines, easily comparing favourably to many Aussie classics in that $70-90 price range.
It's also worth talking about the flagship wine, the Chook Block. Not produced every year, the 10 vintages to date have all been exquisite wines. Small parcels of fruit produce an intense and truly sensation shiraz. I believe the wine comes from only 10 rows of select vines in a single vineyard. This wine ages well, and can be drunk on release too, without doing it a terrible disservice. I have recently tried a 2002 vintage and a 2019 vintage. Both were delicious. This wine easily holds it's own alongside some of the biggest premium labels in Australia - comparable to Jim Barry's "Armagh", St Hallet "Old Block" and Rockford's "Basket Press".
The Wirra Wirra wine club is known as "the tribe" (hence the title of the post). It really does represent great value - with year round discounts at cellar door and online, and a good variety of club member packs to choose from.
In conclusion Wirra Wirra has a great range of wines, should have something to suit most budgets, and has an ethos of making truly enjoyable wines. My Australian Winery of the year for 2024.
The Tribe Membership details are on the link below
