Community Tasting Note
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FierceRedPanda Likes this wine: 88 points
December 24, 2020 - Christmas Eve horizontal with the broadly similar 2016 Two Hands Angels' Share McLaren Vale. Served with a lamb shoulder roast over onions, rosemary, and thyme as well as potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.
Nose is exuberant with spice and flowers (lavender?), but the palate is much more austere, which is not something I'm used to saying about a wine from d'Arenberg. Bone dry blackberry, cedar, leather, vanilla, and just a touch of cinnamon. Considerable tannins. I've had several bottles of this vintage, but this is the most astringent of the bunch. Fortunately, that astringency is useful for cutting through the unctuousness of lamb fat.
It would be ridiculous to say I didn't care for it, but this bottle is more dry and tannic than I would usually expect from the Osborns.1 person found this helpful 1,835 views