Sunday, August 16, 2009

OLIVER'S TARANGA THE BANISHED

- McLaren Vale, SA
- $28-$34
- Cork (Capsule)
- 19.0%alc

Here's a bottle which I previously looked at in the back reviews section of this website, but after downing another bottle on the weekend, I feel it completely deserves the full review treatment. It's a fortified grenache produced from base wines with an average age of 20 years by Oliver's Taranga, a McLaren Vale winery whose exceptional products deserve far greater recognition than they receive (as do their cellar door staff Briony and Trudy - love your work guys!).

Golden/caramel brown in the glass, it slowly unfolds to rich, honeyed aromas of fruitcake, sweet toffee and gentle spice, with a surprisingly pleasing level of restraint and integration. Thick in texture, with a flow akin to melted butter, the luscious palate displays a gently understated intensity of its mature caramel mudcake, orange peel and tea flavours, supported by undertones of stonefruit and dried apricots. It finishes long and persistent with a delicious aftertaste of sweet nuttiness complemented by moderate alcoholic warmth.

ü+ The Banished is an incredibly clean and balanced 20 year old fortified. It's fresh as a daisy but with enough mature, complex elements to keep the most discerning of drinkers happy. Fortified fans should 'unbanish' this, now. You won't regret it. Drink now.
94 points


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