Skip to content
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes sale). Free UK delivery on orders over £175. Tel : 02922 337454
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes sale). Free UK delivery on orders over £175. Tel : 02922 337454
2021 The Kirche, Charles Melton Wine Republic - Enoteca and Wine Merchant

2021 The Kirche, Charles Melton

Barossa Valley, Australia

Brooding, layered and deeply expressive, The Kirche opens with dark blackberry, black cherry and plum, woven through with notes of liquorice, clove, cracked pepper and a hint of smoked earth. The palate is powerful yet beautifully controlled, delivering dense Barossa fruit shaped by firm, savoury tannins and a line of freshness that keeps the wine focused and composed. There is real gravitas here, but also precision, finishing long, complex and quietly authoritative.

For when: the meal is serious, the glasses are generous, and time is not an issue.
Pairs with: slow-roasted lamb, aged beef, game, or rich winter dishes.
If this wine were… a candlelit stone chapel, hushed, imposing, and unforgettable.

The Kirche is one of Charles Melton’s most revered single-vineyard wines, sourced from an old Barossa Shiraz block planted beside a historic Lutheran church, from which the wine takes its name. Charles Melton has been instrumental in redefining Barossa since the 1980s, proving the region could deliver balance and longevity alongside power. Low yields, careful extraction and thoughtful oak ageing allow this vineyard’s intensity and structure to shine without excess. The Kirche stands as a profound expression of Barossa Shiraz, deep, age-worthy and rooted in both place and history.

Whats in the bottle
60% Shiraz & 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

£45.00 - £45.00
£45.00
£45.00 - £45.00
£45.00
Availability:
In stock

Charlie Melton was among the first to recognise the value and tradition of Barossa Valley’s old-vine Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre (Mataro). While others were grubbing up Shiraz to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie and a small band of Barossa winemakers convinced farmers to keep their historic vineyards. Since 1984, Charlie has produced premium Barossa red wines. Initially styled on those from the Rhône, they are now considered leading examples in their own right. Charles Melton is a family project, and today his daughter Sophie, a talented young winemaker, assists Charlie in the winery.

100% estate grown Shiraz and Cabernet, principally from the Kirche vineyard in Krondorf Village, gives the 2019 Kirche its distinctive aromatics and flavour. Both varieties from this block perform consistently at the top end of the quality spectrum. The blend is a mix of co-fermented Shiraz and Cabernet and single varietal ferments that are blended post-oak maturation. As always, a mix of French oak (50%) and American oak (50%) are used to mature the wine. A touch of new oak adds a fine cedar element to the bouquet, and the 30 month “sur lie” maturation gives a natural richness to the structure. A cool (18 – 23ºc) ferment has helped give an elegance to the fruity aromas.