2014 Church Block Wine Business Magazine, Tyson Stelzer - OCT 2016 Beautifully fragrant and elegant, in a restrained lunchtime claret style, confidently cabernet led with structure and fine-boned definition, fleshed out subtly with shiraz. Rose petal lift introduces a red and blackcurrant palate with cedar notes and elegant persistence. The Advertiser Top 100 Wines, Tony Love - JUL 2016 A much-loved South Aussie red, this is notably cabernet dominant (51 per cent) followed by 31 per cent shiraz and 12 per cent merlot, a modern expression of claret that hangs on to a leafy, herbal note to start, then shows dark fruits with a chewy black olive savoury line for good table compatibility. Great value and worth stashing a few away for a few years. James Halliday 2017 Wine Companion - AUG 2016 This sits in an excellent place. In terms of widely-available reds, this takes some beating on the value front. It tastes of blackcurrant and choc-chip with dusty notes to the finish. Midpalate is juicy and jubey, in a seriously drinkable way, but the finish is neat and refined. The Age Wine Guide, Huon Hooke - OCT 2016 Fruit leads the way here, with sweet blackberry and briary aromas plus subtle banana like nuances. It s full-bodied with ripe tannins and an appealing after-grip. Ageing? Drink now to 12 years. Halliday Magazine, Campbell Mattinson - JUL 2016 They ve been making reds under the Church Block name for 40 or so years, but this cabernet-dominant version has started to steal the show in recent years. When people ask me for a good red under $20 my first question is usually, Do you want to have a go hunting or do you want something that s widely available? If it s the latter, this 2014 vies for top of the list. It s uncomplicated, but an exceptionally good drink, full of berries of choc-chip flavour. Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine, Jeremy Oliver - NOV 2016 Elegant and finely crafted, this fragrant, lively cabernet blend is ideal for early drinking or short-term cellaring. Laced with suggestions of pepper, spice and a fresh violet-like perfume, its bouquet of cassis, redcurrants and fresh cedar/vanilla oak precedes a juicy, sweetly fruited but gentle and pliant palate whose intense core of flavour is appropriately matched by fresh cedar/vanilla oak. 2016 Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada Wine Competition GOLD MEDAL
2013 Church Block James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016- JUL 2015 A 49/35/15% blend matured for 18 months in French (70%) and American (30%) oak (20% new). This really does over-deliver; while it s chock-full of luscious red and black fruits (more on the red side) it has a good shape and texture, the finish very more-ish. Value + The Advertiser Top 100 Wines, Tony Love - JUL 2015 It s great to see such a popular wine as this showing genuine gold class style, this 50% cabernet with 37% shiraz and 13% merlot delivering vibrant colour then true cabernet blackberry and cassis aromas and dominant flavour as well, while the rest of the varietal makeup adds a sweeter fruit-cored palate, full with bright red energy and comforting, easy drinking textures. Great drinking for such a price. Daily Mail, Matthew Jukes - FEB 2016 One of the best value reds around, Church Block is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot blend and it is one of the cleverest wines in Australia on account of its seamless chassis and heavenly aroma. Drink it with the Beef pie with parsnip recipe and your palate will somersault with joy. Wine Taste Weekly, Tyson Stelzer - JUN 2015 Church Block has built a legendary reputation for epic longevity and enticing appeal in the sub-$20 red wine stakes, and 2013 confidently maintains the record, one of the finest reds at its price that I ve tasted this year. The signature capsicum, tomato and leaf of cabernet take a confident lead (50%), seamlessly supported by the mid-palate roundness of shiraz (37%) and the subtle lift of merlot (13%). Cedary French oak (70%) provides well-judged support, with the balance American oak, lending notes of dark chocolate to a long finish. An intricately assembled and well balanced example of Australia s signature blend, with a long future before it... Jamessuckling.com, Nick Stock - FEB 2016 The staple of the Wirra Wirra stable, this has a definitive cabernet stamp to it with liquorice and dark chocolate. Plum fruits, cassis and black cherry flavors linger on elegant tannins. Nicely cut wine and cleverly blended. Drink now. Wine Enthusiast Editor s Pick, Jo Czerwinski - APR 2016 Wine Spectator, Harvey Steiman - JUN 2015 Firm and appealing, with generous cherry and pear flavours, finishing with a hint of grapefruit as the finish lingers. Has freshness and depth. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot.
2013 Church Block Australian Wine Review, Andrew Graham - JUL 2015 I once came second in a Church Block blending competition, failing because I didn t add enough Merlot. Damn it. In my defence, I really thought that the Merlot was just a seasoning rather than a serious component (it makes up 13% of this wine and typically hovers around that mark). Anyway, there s much to be said about this quiet hero of bargain red wine, the careful production helping to make this a natural pub winelist go-to. And this 13 is another solid release. Dark red with mauve edges, it smells immediately of McLaren Vale, with a sun-drenched, open, dark plum fruit expression, topped off with more than a little Cabernet cedar. Drying, full flavoured and rather convincing in its flow of dark fruit, this is such a substantial, rich and quite grippy wine for the money, complete with real tannins and a long finish, if perhaps a little lumbering. Admirably intense, this is a better drink than many wines double the price The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, Ralph Kyte Powell - JUL 2015 An honest, earthy McLaren Vale blend with blackberry, blackcurrant, spice and chocolatey aromas. It s medium-bodied and smooth with satisfying balance and fine grained tannins. A crowd pleaser. The Wine Front, Gary Walsh - APR 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. Releasing the power of the blend in a country that s mono-variety obsessed. This kind of amply fruited, yet not so cynical style is what keeps a lot of people coming back for more, I reckon. Blackcurrant, almost to Ribena richness, violet, a whiff of truffle and cedar wood delivers the goods. Medium to full bodied, ample dark druit and dark chocolate, grainy tannin through the middle, well settled but fresh acidity, and chocolate, raspberry and blackcurrant to close with some savoury characters in the mix too. Pretty sure a lot of non-wine-speak people will think what s this drongo going on about!, but the message here is pretty clear: here s a fruit forward juicy McLaren Vale number that s sure to push the buttons of the average fancier of a good Aussie red. West Australian, Ray Jordan - JUN 2015 This is a blend of McLaren Vale cabernet shiraz and merlot. It s a supple medium-weight red blend with vibrant lively fruit on the aromatic nose and the supple medium-bodied palate. Juicy and delicious for current drinking while it is so youthful and punchy. 2015 China Wine & Spirits Awards DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL 2015 New World Wine Awards (NZ) GOLD MEDAL
2012 Church Block James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2015 - JUL 2014 93 POINTS A 49/35/16% blend matured for 18 months in 70% French and 30% American oak. A masterly display for a $20 wine, for all the inputs have worked to perfection, black fruits, spices and cedar in happy union. Great value. Wine Taste Weekly, Tyson Stelzer - APR 2014 2012 is a standout vintage in the great forty-year lineage of Church Block, promising strong potential in the cellar. This is a release of beautifully focused restraint, varietal confidence and slowly uncoiling depth of black and red fruit integrity. Tannins are very fine and mineral, drawing out a long and well-focused finish. West Australian, Ray Jordan - MAY 2014 This is the 40th anniversary of this icon of value-for-money red-wine drinking in Australia. And after the predictable lesser wine from that crummy 2011 vintage, this one is right up there where it belongs, delivering stunning value in its bright and deliciously appealing form of red blend from McLaren Vale. Soft and generous with stacks of ripe plum, mulberry and blackberry fruits that work perfectly with a light touch of oak and ripe tannins. The Wine Front, Gary Walsh - FEB 2014 It s the 40th anniversary of this Aussie stalwart; latterly a champion and saviour of crappy unimaginative wine lists where you can pretty much bank on it being a good drink. And for a 40th year, and let me just say, I feel this keenly, they ve done the old boy proud. Musky perfume, plump blue and black fruits, lick of aniseed, vanilla and cedar tick tick tick very fetching. Medium to full bodied, sweet black and blue fruits, cherry chocolate cake, wee bit of earthiness, smooth fine grained tannin, even acidity and a little crunch of fresh berried acidity and grip on the finish. All just so. Will be lapped up by all and sundry from Perth to Porepunkah: the archetypal good drinking, good value South Australian red. The Age, Ralph Kyte Powell - MAR 2014 The 40th vintage of this McLaren Vale stalwart reinforces its reliability. Berries, spice and vanilla/coffee oak meet the nose in friendly harmony; seamless, smooth texture, fine tannins. Australian Wine Review, Andrew Graham - APR 2014 Better still, this new Church block is an excellent budget wine too. Still a Cabernet Shiraz Merlot (the blend changing relatively little over the years) it carries the deep purple colours of 2012 McLaren Vale reds with the nose to match all coffeed oak, super plush fruit and a slippery choc bullet palate. Its just a little warm finish, which obscures the back palate a little, and more broad McLaren Vale red that defined Cabernet, yet the level of concentration and purple/black fruit lusciousness makes this easy to like and very easy to recommend. Unequivocally good rich red wine that will please many.
2012 Church Block Stephen Tanzer s International Wine Cellar - JUL 2014 Bright purple. Spicy and expansive on the nose, displaying scents of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and lavender along with an exotic hint of fruitcake. Fine-grained, open-knit dark berry flavours are complicated by floral and oak spice notes that fan out on the back half. Finishes smooth and long, with supple tannins coming in late. The Advertiser, Tony Love - JUN 2014 it s the Wirra Wirra 2012 Church Block that remains for many the heart and soul of the winery. Celebrating its 40th anniversary vintage in this 2012 outing, Church Block originally was a Grenache-shriaz blend. Now a cabernet sauvignon-shiraz-merlot blend, the 2012 has a 49:35:16 percentage. A reliable set of vineyards is key to this blend remaining such a star, the shining light being the cabernet that drives the wine, both in its plush, black berried fragrance rather that the variety s sometimes greener, harder elements, as well as a flavour bomb of shiraz mid-palate. The merlot, says winemaker Paul Smith, ties the two main players together and softens the cabernet s tannin and grip, which is the joy here, making this a soft, easygoing, drinkable delight. While you can overlook such stalwart labels in seardh of the latest, new thing, this is one definitely worth opening to celebrate its significant birthday. 2014 China Wine & Spirits Awards DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL
2011 Church Block James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2014 - JUL 2013 The hue is good, although not particularly deep; yet another wine to challenge the vintage, with quite luscious, sweet berry fruits, and no herbal/green/mint notes whatsoever. HuonHooke.com, Huon Hooke - OCT 2012 The 40th vintage of this wine, and probably one of the most difficult. Full, bright purple/ red colour, and a pungent peppery, lightly spiced aroma with definite touches of tomato bush from the cabernet. There s a whiff of greenness about this from the first sniff, but it is a good result from a tricky vintage. Matthew Jukes - APR 2014 The 2011 vintage in South Australia was a tricky one with cool temperatures and inclement conditions. Many wines are dilute, but Church Block is a triumph. Beautifully smooth and rich with a blackberry theme and a heavenly, lingering finish, this winery has worked its very own miracle with Church Block! The Advertiser, Tony Love - AUG 2013 And ever popular blend that takes a bet each way along its middle path between complexity and slurpability, succeeding as an everyday barbecue crowd pleaser.
2010 Church Block James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2013 - JUL 2012 A 50/32/18% blend matured in 70% French and 30% American oak barriques for 18 months filled with red and black fruit flavours, plus balanced tannins and oak. Hail the 10 vintage. Wine Taste, Tyson Stelzer - MAR 2012 Paul Smith clearly said his prayers for the perfect vintage for the fortieth release of Church Block, and the good lord certainly delivered! Disciples of this fabled label will fondly recall the precision of 2004, the concentration of 1990 and the savoury appeal of 1987 and 1989. 2010 encapsulates all there is to love about this blend: density of black fruits, light-footed elegance, vibrant, lively, cabernet-led fruit lift, lingering violet perfume and finely textured tannins. Wine & Spirits Magazine USA - OCT 2013, BEST BUY Striking a fine balance between the rustic, bright red spiciness of shiraz (32 percent of the blend) and cigar box scents of cabernet (50 percent, plus merlot), this is mouth-watering in its juicy freshness. The lasting finish comes off polished and refined, in an earthy McLaren Vale way. The Wine Advocate, Lisa Perotti-Brown - DEC 2012 Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 Church Block Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Merlot has aromas of freshly crushed black currants and blueberries over suggestions of chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a good concentration of exuberant black berry fruit with a crisp acid line and medium level of grainy tannins, finishing with impressive persistence. Drink this one now to 2017. Wine Spectator, Harvey Steiman - JUL 2013 An open-textured style, this balanced red lets its red berry, currant and warm brick aromatics infuse the medium-weight structure, remaining focused through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. Drink now through 2017. Winefront.com, Campbell Mattinson - FEB 2012 We ve been known to like a bit of the Wirra Wirra Church Block around here. It s a reliable blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot. This release is right in the groove. It s neither over nor under-done. It tastes of blackcurrant and mulberries, earth and gum leaves. Medium-bodied but mouth-filling. Has a bit of generosity about it. Tannin is dry and ripe and non-bitter. Has warmth, but in an appealing way. Lovely succulence to the fruit. Pretty much exactly what you d hope for from a Church Block release.
2010 Church Block Matthew Jukes Hall Of Fame, Matthew Jukes - 2012 Once again, Church Block storms into its position in the 100 by virtue of the incredible blending skills at Wirra HQ. With a hearty 18% Merlot in the mix this wine is somewhat of an imposter in the Cab/Shiraz category but we forgive it because it is so damn right delicious and RTD. Made in surprisingly large quantities this is a wine that every serious Aussie wine lover should be considering as their emergency red because it still manages to hit the shelves at around the 13 mark.