Olivers Taranga McLaren Vale

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

This was my last stop on my brief McLaren Vale tour. Oliver's Taranga has apparently been there for 175 years, and supplies Shiraz grapes to Penfolds Grange in most years. It also has a wild history, with rogues, villains, drunkards, gamblers and womanisers in its distant family past - and then there's the women! Have a look at Ruthless Ruth http://www.oliverstaranga.com/wine/ruth ... ur-muscat/ and tell me you would cuddle up to her.

There's an extensive range of wines, currently made at Yangarra (I believe). Let's run through them. For the whites, much is made of the southern Italian varieties, and their affinity for McLaren Vale.

2016 Vermentino (11.5% alc). Almost transparent in colour. Briny / salty, with pears and apple, and some minerality. Medium acid leads to a clean finish.

2016 Fiano (12.5%). Pale yellow. Some citrus, lemon and orange. It has a tangy palate, again with good supporting acid, and bigger weight than the Vermentino. There's also a leesy texture that fills the palate out more.

2016 'Chica' Mencia Rose. THis wine was fermented using carbonic maceration of whole bunches, and this is reflected in the salmon/pink colour. It actually looks and tastes like watermelon. There's also sherbet, musk, and cleansing acidity. This is a good 'afternoon with nibbles' wine.

2014 Grenache. I will state up front that I am not a fan of Grenache, and this did not completely change my mind, but if I had to drink a Grenache, this might be it. Ruby red colour. Some red fruits, cinnamon and spice. Moderate acid and length, with grippy fine tannins. Much lighter in weight, alcohol and confectionery than some Barossan versions I have tried, and all the better for it.

2014 Tempranillo. Spicy plum, dark cherry, blackberry, high acid, fine supporting tannins, medium body and length. I was particularly taken by the nose on this one, less so the palate.

2014 Corinna's Shiraz Cabernet. It's a 51/49 blend, and co-fermented (so picked within a couple of days of each other). Purple in colour. Plums and blackcurrant, a little oak spice, leading to a medium / full palate with mouth-puckering tannins and a little savoury / tobacco. A well-measured blend, almost by accident, given the co-fermentation.

2013 Shiraz. Purple. Lovely spicy nose, with cloves, ripe plum, dark fruits, and a little chocolate and coffee. The palate shows prominent tannins, and is quite full and powerful, leading to a long finish. Impressive.

2012 Sagrantino. Deep purple, with rich plum, and more plum. This leads to a rich velvety palate, with good supporting acid, and big soft tannins. The overall impression is of a big soft wine, with a long finish.

2011 DJ Reserve Cabernet. Purple red. Some tobacco, a little mint, and blackcurrant. There's lots of lovely ripe fruits on the palate. Once again, the tannins and acid are supportive but not aggressive. This is a good wine from a lesser vintage.

2012 HJ Reserve Shiraz. Deep purple, with charry oak, rich dark fruits and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful, full bodied and mouthfilling, with a long finish. A very good wine indeed.

There's a couple of fortifieds that are well promoted by the cellar door staff, and the names relate to the infamous family history. Just as well I was spitting all of the wines.

The Banished Boys. Apparently a couple of the ancestors (brothers) were more focussed on drinking and liaising with some of the local Indigenous population (and producing offspring as a result), than running the farm which had been purchased for them, so they were banished. If they took lots of this fortified Grenache with them, I'm not sure how concerned they would feel. It's heavy on the brandy spirit, in fact, slightly hot (maybe the boys liked it that way). There's lots of raisin, and a good glycerol mouthfeel. A good wine, but I can get better Swan Valley fortifieds in WA for the $45 price tag (500ml).

Ruthless Ruth. A muscat made from white Frontignac. Dark toffee coloured, lots of raisin, Christmas cake, rich glycerols, depth and richness, and all in balance. At $60 for 350ml, not cheap, but there is a bottle in the mixed case that is following me back to WA.

The cellar door is rustic, low-key, but the staff know their stuff, to the point where there's a few long plastic tubes with core samples for those of us that asked more and more technical questions about vine development and irrigation. And the buildings are in character with the history, and the graves on top of the hill. It felt right.

Cheers
Allan