Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz 2023

97 POINTS

Marcus Ellis - Halliday Wine Companion

From three Blewitt Springs vineyards and the estate Sandhill vineyard in McLaren Flat. French oak, 23% new, for 18 months. An elegant expression, yet still with customary depth of black fruits and dark spices. The style is as much the vintage as the increasing finesse under winemaker Emma Wood. Blackberries and deeply ripe red berries, humus-rich earth, dried olive and iron, sun-kissed hardy herbs, oak a discreet chaperone, on both nose and palate. Maybe harmonious is a better word than elegant, as everything here is just so keenly in sync, without feeling worked. The expansive yet weightless feel across the palate, carried by lithe, polished tannins, is quite a thing. As is the length. Superb.

96 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

An elegant and most stylish Shiraz from what was a very cool season in McLaren Vale. In fact, it was up to four weeks later than normal, and yet it has resulted in a wine that’s remarkably stylish and refined. A compelling aromatic mix of plum, spice, a little black pepper and some light boysenberry notes. The palate is, in many ways, quite detailed but impeccably integrated, showing a tasteful use of oak in support of what’s turned out to be some pretty good fruit, supported by those fine grainy tannins. It has a dry, savoury, slightly dried herb character on the finish, and I suspect there’s quite a bit of the Blewitt Springs influence in its style.

94 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

I noted of the 2022 RSW that it had a certain elegance and this 2023, while plenty hefty with flavour, has that sense too. The winemaking at Wirra Wirra is in top form at present. This tastes of cherry and plums with mint, woodsmoke, redcurrant and orange oil notes in play too. There’s an earthen aspect, and coffee-cream characters, and at every turn an impression of harmony. It’s not overly tannic but there’s enough assertion there to keep it in shape. Persistence is not an issue.