d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Vigonier 2006

Mclaren Vale, Australia
Tweet
Natalie's Score: 90/100 Community Score: 4.5/5 Community Reviews: 2 Add My Review Product #: 936971 Wine Type: Red Wine	Price: $27.95 Alcohol: 14% Drink: Now Sweetness: Extra Dry Bottle size: 750 ml Winery: d'Arenberg
More Vintages: 2009 2008 2007

Note: I publish batches of reviews that I call Good Values Wine Picks. These are from the regular section of the liquor store rather than the Vintages section, and tend to be lower priced and the most widely available of all wines. The last four reviews I did were: March 7, January 4, December 16 and November 20.

Tasting note:

The vineyards bushland that surrounds the d'Arenberg winery are home to the unique native Australian bird, the Kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call. Much to the amusement of the family, Chester Osborn's daughters, Alicia and Ruby, named their two wild pet Kookaburras the "Laughing Magpies". The Magpie plumage is black with stripe of white feathers and bears no resemblance to its famous cousin, but to this day the name has stuck. The Osborns thought the name was a good choice for McLaren Vale's first ever Shiraz Viognier blend combining the (black) Shiraz and its white partner, Viognier and for its being such a cheerful wine (with color and life) it resembles this cheeky native bird. I love the way Viognier brightens and lifts this robust red. Layers of plummy, cranberry goodness. Closed with a screwcap. Food matches: roasted lamb.

Reviewed October 7, 2008 by Natalie MacLean

If you liked this wine, you might also like these:

Add bottle and/or label shots for this wine
Wineries and agents: Add notes for this wine
Find this wine in other stores

Serve this wine between 60-65 degrees Farenheit or 15-18 degrees Celsius.

Complementary recipes:

You get my Free Newsletter with articles and tips just for signing up below. But for $2.10/mth, the cost of an incredibly tiny coffee at Starbucks, your wine drinking pleasure will soar.

Natalie who?
Yes, I'm a certified sommelier and was named the World's Best Wine Writer at the World Food Media Awards. Blah, blah, blah. What really matters is that I know which wines can increase your hedonistic happiness... a lot. Don't worry, spam doesn't pair well with wine!