2016 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 6 Pack

93 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - Halliday Wine Companion

Pretty aromatics and a generous palate make this wine easy to enjoy. Vanilla, choc-orange, plum and peppercorn flavours put on an attractive show. It's mostly primary, but the first signs of development have this sitting in a good, mellow place.

92 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Dark violet. Mineral- and smoke-accented dark berries, pungent flowers and licorice on the nose; a hint of cracked pepper adds complexity and spiciness. Juicy cherry and blackberry flavors are supported by an undercurrent of smoky minerality that adds lift and back-end cut. The floral note returns on the clinging finish, which is framed by discreet, well-knit tannins.

92 POINTS

Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast

With 4% Viognier, the nose of this Shiraz-based wine offers an appealing mix of plum, fig cake, mocha, olive and large helpings of savory spice. The palate is powerfully tannic and chalky in texture. Nevertheless, the spicy, brambly fruit finds its way to the fore, providing much needed softness. Give this a decant or air time or plenty of protein if drinking now. Drink until 2028.

91 POINTS

James Suckling

Bold aromas of cherries, yellow plums and other orchard fruit here. Some brown spices, too. Very upbeat, fruit-driven palate that carries such plump, fleshy, ripe red-plum and berry flavors.

91 POINTS

James Suckling

Bold aromas of cherries, yellow plums and other orchard fruit here. Some brown spices, too. Very upbeat, fruit-driven palate that carries such plump, fleshy, ripe red-plum and berry flavors. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

D'Arenberg's 2016 The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier includes 4% Viognier, historically on the low side for this bottling. It's imperceptible on the nose, which shows plenty of dark, plummy fruit, hints of barrel char and a wisp of menthol. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fairly round and generous for a d'Arenberg wine—that's likely where the Viognier influence is felt the most—then firmer and more tannic on the finish.

Wine Spectator

Dense and rustic, with chewy tannins and notes of dried black olive, leather and mineral that add savory details to the blackberry and huckleberry flavors at the core. Shiraz and Viognier.

Wine Spectator

Dense and rustic, with chewy tannins and notes of dried black olive, leather and mineral that add savory details to the blackberry and huckleberry flavors at the core. Shiraz and Viognier. Drink now through 2030. 5,100 cases imported.