Church Block was the first wine which the late Greg Trott produced under the Wirra Wirra label back in 1972. He took the name from one of the original estate vineyards, which runs next to the small Bethany Church
est. 1854 across the road from Wirra Wirra's century old ironstone cellars. Over four decades, Church Block has become an Aussie favourite, consistently offering a smooth, soft red wine that balances the complexity sought by ardent enthusiasts, with the approachability desired by those seeking pure red wine drinking pleasure.
Wirra Wirra sources fruit from a combination of estate vineyards and premium growers at Seaview and McLaren Flat, Whites Valley and Blewitt Springs. Fruit is gently crushed, de-stemmed and vinified at 20C to 28C, pumped over two to four times daily for flavour and colour extraction. Once batches achieve optimal extracts, the ferments are pumped over gently once daily to keep the cap, skins and seeds moist. As juices approach sugar dryness, batches are drained and the remaining skins treated to a basket press. Parcels complete malolactic in barrel and components are assembled, followed by maturation in a selection of new and seasoned French and American oak hogsheads and barriques.
TASTING NOTESDeep plum with vivid red hues. Aromatic nose of leaf, cedar, aniseed and clove spice. Fragrant varietal lift with bright red fruit aromatics of raspberry and plum. Rich, generous palate full of dark cherries over lingering textural tannins. Oak plays a minor yet complimentary role, supporting with cedary complexity and a structural backbone leading to a long lingering finish.