2002 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier Winery: d'Arenberg Vintage: 2002 Region: McLaren Vale Bottle Size: 750ml Variety: Shiraz Viognier Price: $48.00 (out of stock)

The avant-garde of Australian Shiraz is laughing

Some winemakers seem to spend their whole lives making wine without any publicity. You are lucky to find their wines. In every, decade, however, a few young winemakers such as Chester Osborn of  d’Arenberg arrive and somehow seem to set the wine drinking world on fire. The happy intersection of events that gives Chester such publicity comes from his family in this case. This heritage includes fabulous old vines sitting high on the hills in one of the best parts of McLaren Vale and a father who cared enough to pioneer cellar bottling back n the early 60s and make a Jimmy Watson winner. Chester’s first wines as a freshman Roseworthy graduate in the mid 80s were gold medal winners and he hasn’t stopped producing reds and whites that taste a little different and enjoy wildly different names under the red stripe. His labels are controversial – read one of back labels if you are short of  conversation at dinner but make sure you have your glasses! Name a variety or style and he is making one of the best. Improvement in Shiraz during the last 20 years has been widespread and blending Viognier marks a new direction in producing Shiraz with a solid palate due to the Viognier somehow masking the Shiraz tannins. The rich flavours gain a boost from the apricot and peach aromas of Viognier which combine to make more aromatic wines with a ripe fruit flavour. Seek out the strangely titled d’Arenberg 2002 ‘Laughing Magpie’ Shiraz Viognier. It is a big step forward for Australian Shiraz. The core of the wine is ripe, soft fruit McLaren Vale Shiraz which is blended with the white grape Viognier. This old French technique uses 3-6 per cent Viognier to accentuate the richness of Shiraz and produce an overcoat where the juicy Viognier seems to make the Shiraz more slippery in the mouth and also accentuates the dark fruit flavours. The d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie2002 Shiraz Viognier is a fragrant jar of jam to smell with black pepper and cheery aromas. Take a sip and notice the silky interplay of ripe fruit. It finishes solf and long with “touchy, feely” Shiraz tannins. Drink with beef and finish the bottle with a Mersey Valley cheddar.

Rob Geddes MW Nov 2003

The 2002 The Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier (93% of the former and 7% of the latter) is the La Mouline of McLaren Vale. An exotic, heady, flamboyantly-styled red, it boasts an inky/purple colour as well a gorgeous nose of lychee nuts, acacia flowers, blackberries, and crème de cassis. Suppletextured and opulent, with pepper, licorice, and blackberry liqueur-like flavours, this beautiful wine is made in a modern, progressive style with terrific fruit intensity along with notions of sweet French oak in the background. It should drink well for 10-12 years.

Robert Parker Jnr 93  Points