Upon release d’Arenberg’s The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier has a vivid dark purple colour. The Viognier adds fragrance and the perfume of flowers, nectarines, ginger and herbs, serving to enhance the very ripe spectrum of the Shiraz, namely blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry.

These same characters are also evident on the palate and prevail with a smooth glycerol impact, following through to the mid palate with fruity tannin.. The structure has an accent on fine structure and a gritty long fruit tannin.

After time in bottle the d’Arenberg’s Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier’s flavours should intensify as with other wines from the d’Arenberg stable.

The restrained tannin and acidity will produce a seamless velvety rolling length with age.

Shiraz-Viognier blends have become quite the ticket in recent years (what to do with all that so-so Viognier) but one of the first and still one of the best is the Laughing Magpie. The opaque purple-colored 2007 The Laughing Magpie Shiraz (90%)-Viognier (10%) offers up an expressive bouquet of smoke, mineral, violets, and wild blueberry. Medium-to full-bodied on the palate, it has tons of ripe blue fruits, spice notes, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. This lengthy, pleasure-bent effort will be at its best from 2010 to 2020.
Robert Parker

Regular Price $29.99