2021 Oliver’s Taranga HJ Reserve Shiraz, McLaren Vale

From 1948-planted estate vines, indigenous ferment, matured in French oak (35% new). This has classic stylings, richly supple fruit, dusty, earthy scents and dark spices, but the house refinement is also on show. It’s like an old snapshot, artfully colourised. Black and blue fruits, Christmas spices, crème de mure, coffee crema and dark cocoa. There’s richness and a supple flex to the palate, oak suitably matched, tannins cleansingly savoury. It’s a very smart release.

95 points Marcus Ellis winecompanion.com.au

Oliver’s Taranga HJ Reserve Shiraz is a powerful and finely crafted wine from one of McLaren Vale’s oldest and most respected family growers. The Oliver family has been farming the same patch of land since 1841, and today sixth-generation vigneron Corrina Wright leads the winemaking with a thoughtful mix of tradition, innovation and a deep connection to terroir.

The HJ Reserve is named after Corrina’s grandfather, HJ "Hardy" Oliver, who was instrumental in developing the vineyard into one of the region’s most premium sources of Shiraz fruit. This wine is the estate’s flagship, produced only in exceptional vintages from the best barrels of the best blocks on the property. The vines are dry-grown, some over 70 years old, rooted in deep red-brown loam and ironstone that give this Shiraz both richness and structure.

Grapes are hand-picked and sorted before fermenting in open fermenters with regular hand plunging. The wine is matured for 20 months in a mix of new and seasoned French oak puncheons and hogsheads, with careful barrel selection to capture the most expressive and age-worthy components.

In the glass, it opens with dense aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, baking spices and violets, underpinned by layers of dark chocolate, liquorice, charcuterie and cracked pepper. The palate is full-bodied, with inky concentration and plush fruit at its core, framed by beautifully integrated oak and fine-grained tannins. It’s structured, powerful, and balanced by a long, savoury finish that carries notes of earth, espresso and warm spice.

This is a wine that drinks impressively now with decanting but will reward cellaring for 10 to 15 years, evolving into something even more complex and soulful.

Pair it with slow-cooked lamb shoulder, dry-aged ribeye, mushroom ragù or aged Manchego.