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News
Wine is unrivalled in the world of beverages for the influence time and season have on its ever changing personality. The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2013 has just now reinforced that lesson for me. Upon tasting this wine in early Summer 2017 it was bursting at the seams with typical young, fruity Shiraz characters, think plum, mulberry, milk chocolate and sweet liquorice. The tannin and acid profile at the time however, sat a bit awkwardly against the juiciness of the wine. Now, as the colder months have set in I notice those sweet fruited scents slowly retreating and a darker, more savoury aspect to this wine revealing itself. Mulberry and plum give way to black olive, cedar and cinnamon; milk chocolate has evolved into dark chocolate, the serious type with lots of cocoa; and the sweet confectionary liquorice appears more like slightly salty Dutch liquorice.
The tannins have taken on a chalky edge and the mouthfeel, whilst densely packed, feels much more streamlined. From experience and taking into account the concentration of this wine, I expect the sweetness to re-emerge in the coming months. Plums and mulberries will continue to please but add to that sun dried figs and boysenberry pie. And watch the texture evolve as the wine becomes ever more velvety. A Shiraz Viognier that will suit everyone from the most avid wine connoisseur seeking a thought provoking experience through to someone who just wants to enjoy a quality red wine with their barbecued steak.
Wine Description
The Story
The Kookaburra is a native Australian bird famous for its distinctive laughing call, Chester's young daughters named them 'Laughing Magpies'. The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers, representing McLaren Vale's first ever blend combining the (black) Shiraz and its white partner, Viognier.
Wine Information
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to open fermenters, where the Viognier and Shiraz are co-fermented. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation, the wine is basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of old French and American oak to complete fermentation and mature. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, there is no racking until final blending and no fining or filtration.
WINEMAKERS
Chester Osborn & Jack Walton