d'Arenberg "Laughing Magpie" 2007

If you're looking for a good Shiraz you can't go wrong with db'Arenberg at any price point. From their $10 a bottle Stump Jump to their $50 The Dead Arm they deliver. Tonight's offering comes at a price-point in the middle, about $20 a bottle and it's well worth the price! The Laughing Magpie is a blend of 90% Shiraz (a red grape) and 10% Viognier (a white grape), something you are finding more of from Australia.

This wine is quite lovely in the glass, a deep, virtually opaque purple color. The nose is full of blueberries, dark cherries, violets, earthiness, smoke, and just a hint of jasmine. Medium/(+) in body, you get a taste full of blue fruit with hints of spice and minerality delivered via a solid acid backbone and smooth tannins that turn just a little dusty in the medium/(+) length finish. An excellent wine now I would expect it to continue to evolve through 2011 and be a solid choice through at least 2014.

Number of wines reviewed in 2011: 6

Yalumba "Bush Vine" Grenache 2008

Ah Aussies, they do so many things right and for this American wine making falls into that category. I know many of those "serious" wine critics like to bash much of what is called New World Wine that is something I won't do. Rather I will simply recognize differences between Old World and New World and appreciate each for what it is. Here we definitely have a New World Wine, coming to us from "Australia's most famous wine region", the Barossa Valley in southern Australia. This Rhone varietal appears red with a touch of blue, medium/(+) intensity in the glass. The nose is lovely, big raspberry and cherry with supporting notes of licorice and just a touch of oaky spice. Medium bodied, the wine delivers what the nose detects. Red fruit, smooth tannins, and good acid come together to deliver quite a nice quaff that has just a touch of pepper in its medium length finish. Nice value at less than $15 a bottle, should hold solidly through 2013 and into 2014.

Number of wines reviewed in 2011: 5