2005 d'Arenberg "Laughing Magpie" Shiraz-Viognier McLaren Vale South Australia
SKU #1027897
94 points
James Halliday
Warm, dark fruits, with licorice and plum added to the usual blackberry and dark chocolate; medium- to full-bodied, very complex, and multi-layered texture; ripe, balanced tannins.
(1/2007)
93 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Year in and year out, one of the most exotic, flamboyant, and sexiest cuvees in the d’Arenberg portfolio is The Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier. The 2005 exhibits a spring flower garden-like character interwoven with blackberries, creme de cassis, melted licorice, and sweet, toasty new oak. Opulent and voluptuous, with silky tannin, and a plump, fleshy, rich, full-bodied personality... (RP)
(10/2006)
K&L Notes
The Laughing Magpie is a style that has its roots in the Rhône Valley's Côte-Rôtie, where Viognier is grown alongside Syrah in the vineyards, then picked and vinified with it to create a highly perfumed red wine. d'Arenberg has produced its own variation on this marriage of red and white grapes with a uniquely McLaren Vale twist. It's a wine with a fragrance of flowers combined with ripe, spicy fruit characteristics.