Reviews & Ratings

2015 d'Arenberg Australian (Red Blend) "Laughing Magpie"

Winery: d'Arenberg

Vintage: 2015

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Laughing Magpie"

Wine Category: Australian (Red Blend)

Grape blend: 94% Shiraz & 6% Viognier

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: McLaren Vale

State or country: Australia

Price: $29

Cases produced: unknown

KWG Score: 91.6 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: January 9, 2020

Wine Review: This slight opaque and dark ruby colored Shiraz based wine opens with a fragrant new leather, blackberry, boysenberry, and black olive bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, juicy and savory. The flavor profile is a very tasty complex blend of blackberry and refined minerality along with notes of stewed plum, black tea and black pepper. I also detected hints of black olive and oak in the aftertaste. The finish sis dry and its dusty tannins stick around for a very long time. This Shiraz could benefit from some decanting in the near term. I would pair this wine with braised short ribs. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2015, made during a beautifully balanced year, has all its components in harmony. The nose on this wine benefits from a little air and then just watch the complex array of aromas emerge from the glass. The Shiraz provides both black and red fruits, dark earthy notes, spice and fennel whilst the Viognier compliments this with floral, gingery and apricot highlights. Again, the palate is well balanced. Deep and rich in flavor, long and fine in structure and with an acid line that tightens the whole wine up providing sleek shape and long lingering finish. As with the nose, the palate benefits from time in glass. This is not a punch in the face wine but rather a complex and complete wine. Feel free to confidently stow it away in a well-regulated cellar for a few years to discover even further layers of complexity.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell d'Arenberg 2015 Laughing Magpie.