It’s a mouthfilling wine but the dark fruit is supple, silky, and fresh, and the tannins remain a supporting act rather than a lead role. Still a baby, this wine should evolve beautifully over the decades.

CHRISTINA PICKARD FOR WINE ENTHUSIAST’S CELLAR SELECTIONS: THE BEST AGE-WORTHY WINES OF 2025

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Barossa Valley

The Steeple

Name: The Steeple
Brand: Yalumba
SKU: YALSSH226-BT
Price: 100.00 AUD
Availability: InStock

Shiraz 2022

$100

750mL Bottle

Drawn from a distinguished vineyard in the hamlet of Light Pass, The Steeple Shiraz is a true single vineyard wine. This wine is from biodynamically grown, low yielding centenarian vines planted in 1919. In the shadow of the Light Pass Immanuel Lutheran Church Steeple, the roots of these old vines run deep into the ancient Barossa soils, yielding intensely flavoured Shiraz grapes to create a wine of richness, texture, concentration and length.

Tasting Note A brooding, deep red in colour. The aromas are an opulent mix of potpourri and red berries. Generous fruit flavours of cranberry, redcurrant and dark red cherries on the palate are supported with red fruit sweetness and long, flowing tannins. This is a wine of great balance, style and exceptional varietal characteristics.

Terroir Sourced from Yalumba’s Steeple vineyard at Light Pass on the Barossa Valley floor, this old block of Shiraz was planted in 1919 on its own roots in fine, sandy loam and red-brown earth. This soil is well drained and consists of a marked contrast in texture between the surface soil and the subsoil. The 1.34 hectare vineyard sits at an elevation of 280 metres above sea level. The old vines, planted at three metre spacings in north south rows are trained with four rods on two wires which ensures an even distribution of bunches along the trellis.

Treatment Matured for 16 months in 15% new Tonnellerie Sylvain ‘Artistic Series’ barriques made from a 365 year old oak tree, balance in older Tonnellerie Sylvain ‘Artistic Series’ barriques.

Accolades

Great length to the finish

Deep ruby red with a rich purple rim. A heady nose of ripe blueberries and blood plums, star anise and hints of ironstone. Powerful and intense on the palate without overloading the senses. Blue fruits build majestically with notes of charred beef, iron and violets, all melded together in harmony. Tannins are pitch perfect, finely grained but with ample tension to ensure great length to the finish. It will evolve even further with patient cellaring.

Stuart Knox

A soft, satiny wine

Of all the wine types that it’s hardest to guess the price – before it’s been revealed - in Australian wine terms at least, I would say that it’s full-bodied shiraz. This is a soft, satiny wine with plum, bitumen, clove, cedar and burnt toast characters flooding the palate. There’s a saltiness to the fruit here as well. It’s relatively straightforward but the polish, weight of fruit, balance and finish are all up there in quality. The creaminess of the texture here – not overplayed – doesn’t hurt either.

Campbell Mattinson

Compact, well-composed and quite weighty

Produced from a boutique vineyard planted in 1919 adjacent to the Light Pass Church, the 2022 Steeple Shiraz is hearty and almost old-fashioned in style, with a strong, savoury core of iron filings, licorice, and darker tones, with touches of dried sage and spice, encased in ample balanced oak. Sturdy in texture, with muscular, generous tannins which are well matched to a delightful core of fruit. Compact, well-composed and quite weighty, yet retains freshness and vibrancy through to a long and finely balanced finish. Classically proportioned to enjoy over the medium term.

Angus Hughson

Your fine wine guide to The Steeple

A glass of The Steeple sitting next to it's decanter

Decanting The Steeple

For optimum drinking, we recommend decanting fine wines and wines that have been cellared. Learn more about decanting wines.

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When to drink

Read more about the best time to drink The Steeple

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Glassware

All aspects of a fine wine can be enhanced when it’s enjoyed in the ideal glass. Learn more about varietal specific glassware.

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A note on cork

At Yalumba, we remain fervent supporters of high grade cork closures for select wines. Learn more about natural wine closures and how best to store wines under cork.

More About Cork

The Steeple