believed winemaker hand-inscription on glass

The vineyards and bushland that surround the d’Arenberg winery are home to the unique native Australian bird, the Kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call. Much to the amusement of the family, Chester Osborn’s daughters, Alicia and Ruby, named their two wild pet Kookaburra’s the “Laughing Magpies”.

The Vintage

The 2003 season was characterised by a mild spring. This, coupled with the primary bud necrosis from the effects of the poor spring the year before, resulted in very low yields. Scattered showers through the summer period kept freshness and fragrance in the grapes from the dry grown vines.

Very concentrated ripe bunches of Shiraz and Viognier were gently crushed by the “Demoisy” open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher, then co-fermented together in traditional, headed down open fermenters where the traditional foot-treading in wader-clad feet takes place. With a considerable portion of this wine being naturally fermented (no yeast added), the wine reveals earthy aromas of roast meat, salami, game and lipstick. The still fermenting juice was then gently basket pressed by our 19th Century “Coq” and “Bromley & Tregoning” presses, followed by 12 months maturation in American and French oak barriques.

Upon release, ‘The Laughing Magpie’ has a vivid, dark-purple colour. The Viognier adds fragrant flower and perfume aromas, and flavours of nectarines, apricots, ginger and herbs, serving to enhance the very ripe flavour spectrum of the Shiraz, which primarily exhibits blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry. With a considerable portion of this wine being naturally fermented (no yeast added), the wine reveals earthy aromas of salami, game, and lipstick. These characters prevail on the palate with a smooth glycerol impact following through to the mid-palate, with the exotic characters growing and combining with tannins and a long complex finish. Structurally, the 2003 ‘Laughing Magpie’ is as full-bodied as the 2002 release with a more complex, rich mouth-feel, ending with a beautifully balanced array of fine, rich tannins.