Before I go on … 2006 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie kicks some serious booty!
Our small group went to the Aussie Shiraz this time. The parameters were the wine had to be at least 65% Shiraz, Australian and between vintages 2004-2006. For the first time we saw a unanimous decision with 7 first place votes. So here is how it went.
Before you read this, please note that this group is a combination of wine geeks and newbies. There is no unanimous preference towards old world or new world. Normally we see some major divisions but on this day, there was one wine unanimously loved and one wine unanimously hated.
Wine # 1: Big oak on the nose. Enjoyable aromatics. Lots of boysenberry and sweet oak on the palate. Big fruit and big oak but nice balance. The finish originally showed hot but when we revisited about an hour later the wine had a big improvement. (0,5,1 = 16 points) Group # 2, my # 2 2005 Two Hands Shiraz “Sophie's Garden”
Wine # 2: Much subtler nose. Leather and a touch of menthol. Flavors showed more cherry. More red fruit. The finish was dried and hot. (0,0,2 = 2 points) Group # 5 2005 Razor's Edge Shiraz
Wine # 3: Okay here is some complexity … a novel idea. Aromatics showed minerals and flower elements along with the fruit. It was Bordeaux like to me. Showed much better acidity than the previous two. There was also a nice amount of tannins. Great balance. Needs a few years. (7,0,0 = 35 points) Group # 1, my # 1 2006 d'Arenberg “The Laughing Magpie” Shiraz-Viognier
Wine # 4: Again big oak on the nose. Showed dark fruit. Nice bright acid. A good amount of tannins. The finish did show heat and some bitterness but overall very nice. (0,1,2 = 5 points) Group # 3 – tie, My # 3 2005 Two Hands “Brave Faces”
** I took this one home and it showed very nicely with dinner.
Wine # 5: Plums on the nose. Not so oak dominated. A touch of black licorice. Somebody (Dietz?) nailed this with coriander. Coriander seed to be exact. Earth and mushroom too. Again, there were solid tannins. (0,1,2 = 5 points) Group # 3 –tie 2005 Yalumba “Y Series” Shiraz/Viognier
Wine # 6: Oak shake aromatics. Texture is like a blanket. Tastes like old crusty boysenberry syrup from IHOP! Sweet syrup… old syrup. Wow…people were not even willing to spit this. It just got poured straight into the bucket. Port like … just not as good as port. Dietz said it was like Ultimate Fighting Challenge. Thankfully, there was a nice hot alcoholic finish to go with it. (NO VOTES) 2006 Mollydooker Shiraz “Blue Eyed Boy”
** I did take this home. My wife needed a glass of wine. I pulled out the wine and she thought the label was so cool. She wanted a glass. After a few sips she gave it back … she was done. It must be noted that I have never seen her refuse to drink a red wine that was not flawed!
Wine # 7: Interesting aromatics. Most like number 3. I was sure this was not 100% Shiraz (of course it was). Scott nailed this as watermelon Jolly Rancher. It was Jolly Rancher but it wasn’t candied. A nice wine but didn’t get any votes. (NO VOTES) 2004 The Colonial Estate Shiraz “Explorateur”
Huge kudos to D'Arenberg!!! Great job and Great price!
I must say, I love the Marquis and was sorry to see them take a beating … but it happens. Although they don’t necessarily make “my style” of wine, I will continue to keep some in the cellar… because sometimes I need some Ultimate Fighting Challenge!
Cheers,
Jason
