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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.1 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 71 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by smctipton on 8/28/2023 & rated 91 points: This wine has always amazed. Four bottles over the last two months. Bought on release and cellared at 52 degrees for 20 years. Muted nose. While the Viognier contribution to the nose is gone, the silky texture and saturated dark ruby color remains. Fruit faded somewhat, but silky tannins and mouthwatering acidity make this a balanced joy to dink...still. One bottle left, and on to the 2002. (249 views) | | | Tasted by SineQuaNon on 4/3/2020 & rated 90 points: I am sort of surprised to see four recent notes - 2018 to 2020 - as this I would consider a 'mid range' d'Arenberg a level below the Dead Arm, Coppermine Road and Ironstone Pressings, which are all very age worthy. I am equally surprised to see >300 bottles still remaining in peoples cellars. In my case, I somehow forgot it in corner of the cellar, otherwise I'd probably have consumed it many years ago. Fortunately, my cellar is cool, and this wines ageability has completely exceeded my expectations! A great, fully mature and thus complex wine with rich body and intense aromatics. Depechemoroder describes it excellently below. If you're one of those with bottles remaining, I'd recommend checking in and see, what you think. To my taste and prefenrence it is fully mature and will not improce from this point. (1350 views) | | | Tasted by depechemoroder on 1/3/2020 & rated 90 points: In a lovely mature place. Leather and prunes with some smoky intensity and an old country house feel. Plush and round, this wavers between old elegance and something a bit chunkier. Tannins are faint, but there is balance. Good with stews. (1272 views) | | | Tasted by Gdcrsmith on 10/31/2018 & rated 90 points: Excited to taste as had been in storage for a while. V fruity. Immediately accessible. Can’t decide if just fruity or had real backbone. Seemed delicious. (1568 views) | | | Tasted by mpdonnel on 2/25/2018 & rated 87 points: I think past prime, but my wife liked it to my surprise. To me it tasted like fruit stew, with no structure and not much acidity left, very flabby. Not bad, just very one dimensional and not to my liking. (1912 views) | | | Tasted by wine4ever on 9/12/2015 & rated 91 points: By far, the best showing of this wine I've had. I guess it just needed some time to get itself together. Mature wine, tannins resolved, dark plum color, dark fruits, eucalpytus, oak and licorice, long finish. Full bodied and smooth. Nose a bit muted, and a touch of heat still drop the score a couple notches. (3120 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 8/6/2015 & rated 91 points: richest wine if the evening - full of blackberry liquor and vibrant minerality. Hard to believe this is 14 years old. (2409 views) | | | Tasted by Kaerhoeg on 6/8/2013 & rated 89 points: Still very powerfull wine. Aged well. Tobacco and coffee in the nose. (3959 views) | | | Tasted by brokedown palace on 2/13/2013 & rated 89 points: Aged very well. Luscious and very refinded for a bold shiraz. Lots, or berry hint of coffee (3848 views) | | | Tasted by folsomarndt on 9/8/2012 & rated 89 points: Deep purple teeth staining, jammy fruit, with smooth tannins, medium length finish and enjoyable shiraz. But a ton of sediment, so would recommend decanting. (3970 views) | | | Tasted by wine4ever on 7/5/2012 & rated 85 points: Hot and heavy. A bit gamey. It did open up though after about an hour and became more pleasant....the crowd finished it. Not the best showing for this wine. Drink now with a decant. (2936 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 3/26/2012 & rated 78 points: Hot and out of balance. Disappointing. Ripe fruit, but alcoholic. (3229 views) | | | Tasted by ndt on 2/14/2012 & rated 91 points: Better than the 2000. Oak on the nose at first, then well integrated. Still nice on the second night (2011 views) | | | Tasted by Faffenheim on 9/9/2011: Blackberry, coffee and pepper nose. Characteristic McLaren Vale big Shiraz softened by the Viognier. Starts dry but long finish with velvety tannins. Would benefit from cellaring for a few more years (1900 views) | | | Tasted by gthelen on 1/14/2011 & rated 91 points: After 1 hr decant: juicy, jammy, new world with low tannins. Easy to like. (2235 views) | | | Tasted by jamscreator on 1/8/2010 & rated 92 points: Absolutely better than the previous bottle. Viognier added to this wine creates a mellowness to this fantastic wine that will keep you back. Sweeter than a 100% Shiraz, this wine is prime with blackberry, tobacco and sweet cherry flavors. I just love this wine. Love it!! (3029 views) | | | Tasted by Vinecon on 12/26/2009 & rated 92 points: a delicious combination. shiraz power with viogner to tone down the excess. brings out apricot flavors along with shiraz usual measure of black fruits and pepper. This wing is far from past its peak--good for another 4-5 years. (3062 views) | | | Tasted by borneman on 12/17/2009: Still young and fresh. Drinking very well. (2990 views) | | | Tasted by graemeg on 11/2/2009: NobleRottersSydney - Shiraz-Viognier (Alio's, Surry Hills): [cork, 14.5%] {Stephen} Only the second vintage of this label I believe, and probably less extreme than some of its successors. An aged, raisiny nose, with burnt molasses, stewed fruits and charcoal notes. Smells better than it reads! The palate is dry, with soft oak and tannins, medium-bodied weight and a general impression of luscious fruit-cake shiraz flavours, instead of shoveling obvious voignier characters down your throat, which is all to the good, but it’s rather let down by a hot, almost spirity finish. Pity. Only likely to become less balanced with time, so get into it. (3472 views) | | | Tasted by amred on 5/25/2009 & rated 90 points: Initially disappointing. It was our sense the wine was a little ripe and past it's prime. It was smooth, but lacking in the usual pepper, spice and fruit-forward nature. However...on the second day, the nose was richer and the pepper, tannins and fruit were much more evident. These are, however, not going to improve with further age in the bottle. Fruits seemed somewhat raspberry in nature, elements of tar or leather and slight earthy nature not evident when previously consumed. (3052 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 3/1/2009 & rated 91 points: Impromptu White Burgundy Tasting; 2/28/2009-3/1/2009 (Lake Elmo): I really enjoy this, though truth be told, it probably suffers a bit from not being adequately prepped (stored upside down, should've allowed a week or so for the sediment to settle back to the bottom). That said, this is a nice bottle of wine that appears to be at its peak. Medium bodied, it's nicely balanced on the palate, with a nice amount of food friendly structure/acidity still remaining. (3914 views) | | | Tasted by Vinacull on 12/26/2008 & rated 89 points: Last bottle, and I'm sad I opened it because this can easily go a few more years if cellared properly. Decant and pour. Color is very dark red verging on black. Probably should have filtered it due to significant sediment. Medium-full body. I was hoping it would show some age, but none was apparent other than a slight brown tinge at the rim. This is the first fruit bomb we've had in a few weeks, so it really stands out. Explosive nose of blackberry essence and blackberry pie, and a little pepper and soy sauce --- sadly no floral component detected. Floods the palate with teeth-staining blackberry, cream, earth and pepper. Lots of chewy extract, and toward the end of the bottle the bitter sediment in the finish contrasts the sweetness of the fruit. The price for this 3-4 years ago was $18, but even if you're paying a few dollars more for bottle aging, it is still a very good QPR. (3167 views) | | | Tasted by jvogel on 12/19/2008: Loved this. Rich raspberry, hot cherry pie nose allied to very refined, velvety tannin. Licorice lockdown, some honeysuckle notes (presumably from the Viognier), and just beautiful berry flavors hitting all the right spots. WOTN. (3316 views) | | | Tasted by jamscreator on 12/17/2008 & rated 89 points: Hadn't planned on decanting for 90+ minutes, but it worked out well for the benefit of this wine. I have been a d'Arenberg fan for about 20 months, and this wine reinforces why. While not necessary a spendid buy for the dollar, this very dark wine presented blackberry, sweet cherry pipe tobacco and pepper on the nose and on the palate. Quite tanic and a shorter finish than I had expected. Still quite good. (3138 views) | | | Tasted by chbeaumont on 10/10/2008 & rated 85 points: Very deep colour; bursting with fruit, bright, showy, that archetypal 'sunshine in a bottle'; bursting with gobs of ripe fruit, enough acidity; overbearing. Better than rank, undernourished wines of old; but there is a happy mid-way. (3145 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| d'Arenberg Producer website | Wine Doctor.com profile
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
Producer Location (Google Maps)
One of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale founded in 1912. The winemaking processes of the past have been maintained, capturing the unique small-batch character of the wines and the true flavour of the McLaren Vale region. All grapes, red and white, are basket-pressed. The reds are still traditionally fermented with the grape skins (caps) submerged in open wax-lined concrete fermenters utilising the age-old technique of foot-treading.
Winemaking duties are carried out by fourth-generation Chester d’Arenberg Osborn. In June 2004 Chester’s father, d’Arry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his contributions to the wine industry and to the McLaren Vale region. After more than 65 consecutive vintages d’Arry is very proud of his achievements in creating an internationally recognised wine brand commonly known as the ‘Red Stripe’ due to the distinctive diagonal red stripe that adorns the label. d’Arenberg’s art of being different extends to a range of fortified and dessert wines, which have legendary status worldwide.d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz-ViognierThe vineyards and bushland that surround the d’Arenberg winery are home to the native Australian bird, the Kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call.
Much to the amusement of the family, Chester Osborn’s daughters, Alicia and Ruby, named two wild Kookaburras who regularly visited their house the “Laughing Magpies”.
The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers and bears no resemblance to its famous cousin, but to this day the name has stuck.
The Osborn’s thought the name was a good choice for McLaren Vale’s first ever Shiraz Viognier blend combining the (black) Shiraz (94%) and its white partner, Viognier (6%).Shiraz BlendViognierAustralia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)South Australia South Australian Wine Industry Association | South Australian Wines (Wikipedia)Fleurieu Fleurieu Wineries & Cellar Doors (southaustralia.com)McLaren Vale McLaren Vale (McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism)
(Hastwell & Lightfoot webpage) |
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