2023 Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz, McLaren Vale

Fleshy and bright on the nose, this is unadulterated McLaren Vale Shiraz. Red and purple berries, a bundle of spice, glossy violet, a lick of liquorice, dusty dark cocoa nib, and some toasty oak with some resiny depth for the fruit to rest its head on. While this is firmly a full-bodied vino, there’s a freshness to the palate thanks to a lifted line of acidity simmering along the journey and well-handled fruit with restrained oak. Tannins are tightly bundled, slick and tarry with a bit of dusty baked red earth, holding their place on the palate nicely. A plush and rather polite Shiraz, which drinks easily and well now, but could be put away for those that enjoy a bit of age. Really lovely. Drink to 2030.

94 points Cassandra Charlick for Wine Pilot, January 2025

Off 10 estate blocks with 18–60-year-old vines; 20% new French for 18 months. This is one of those wines you could always buy with confidence. A reliably high-quality wine of thoughtful construction. This hums the tune of the cool year, though still ripely fruited, silky and flavour-deep, but with a certain buoyancy. Boysenberry, red plum, liqueur black cherries, vanilla bean, cacao nib, blackberry and anise pastille, the delivery open and delightfully airy, the finale escorted by neatly extracted food-forward tannins. Drink to 2033.

93 points & Special Value Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, May 2025

A fistful of picked mulberries, wild boysenberries and blood plums. Dancing joyful acidity and a serpentine of smooth tannins. Some clove and carob spice, that just cradles the ripe fruit. Excellent value and the pretty rosella and rose that the Vale can deliver. A wine for lamb kebabs and skewers of sorts. Drink now and will cellar well for another 3-5 years. Drink to 2030.

92 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, March 2025

Dense, saturated purple-red colour with black tints, the bouquet is smoky oaky, creosote, walnuts, and again dense, with dark chocolate, and mocha—oak seems a large part of the bouquet. Full bodied, rich andf fleshy, a touch of liquorice, the tannins massed and mouth-coating, chewy and packed with flavour and extract. Some alcohol fuminess. A big, bold and brassy shiraz which needs time and has a long way to go. Drink to 2040.

91 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, June 2025

While it was a cool, wet vintage in the Vale in 2023, there is no stopping the generosity of flavour to be found in this 2023 Shiraz. It starts with deep, dark purple hues. Dense, inky and muscular, it is a wine still evolving and yet to fully integrate. Give it time. High tannins work with concentrated ripe fruit and oak. Blueberry, black plum, black berries and fine spice come laced in bay leaf and eucalyptus bush notes. Wears a nice sheen of clean pencil shaving oak. Drink to 2033.

91 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, January 2025

Oliver’s Taranga is a 100-hectare family-owned property in McLaren Vale that is today run by sixth-generation cousins Corinna Wright, Brini Oliver and Sam Oliver.

Corinna is the first winemaker in the family and has been producing wines under this label since 1994. She is a champion of female representation in the wine industry as well as for experimentation with alternative grape varieties while holding tight to her family’s long held ideals of passion, integrity and continuous improvement.