d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier McLaren Vale 2019 CS20230828 in a small glass

in a small glass

Distant oily smoke

It's rustic in the best sense — built for the table and for a few years in the cellar

The result is Syrah that leans Northern Rhone in its frame - peppery

it offers sophistication now yet will flourish for decades

d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier McLaren Vale 2019 CS20230828 in a small glassThe Laughing Magpie takes the classic Northern Rhone trick of co fermenting Shiraz with a splash of Viognier, a nod to Cote Rotie, and applies it to McLaren Vale fruit. It's mostly Shiraz (around 94%) with the Viognier lifting the aromatics and adding silk. d'Arenberg is a fourth generation South Australian estate run by the inventive Chester Osborn, who favors old vines and traditional basket pressing. The 2019 is darkly perfumed and savory, with