Description
In 1839 William and Elizabeth Oliver travelled to South Australia from Scotland and eventually settled in 1841 on land at McLaren Vale. Whitehill and Taranga farms, the names given to the northern and southern sections of this land, are located 2 km north of McLaren Vale overlooking the township. Taranga is a corruption of the aboriginal word Tarangk, meaning ‘the middle’ which was used by the Kaurna, a local aboriginal tribe. Sheep and cattle were raised and orchards and vineyards were planted immediately upon arrival and the family prospered.
Six generations of stubborn, competitive growers and one equally spirited winemaker- that’s the Oliver family. Living smack bang in the middle of McLaren Vale, they flourish on producing perfect parcels of fruit on their 100 hectare ‘Taranga’ property. Their collection of small batch, handcrafted wines speak of both the variety and vintage, capturing a time and place, while continuing to document the family’s ongoing 180 year relationship with the land.
5 Red Star rated Winery by James Halliday
This is the 19th release of the Langtons Classified “Excellent” HJ Reserve Shiraz (named after their grandfather Herbert John ‘HJ’ Oliver). HJ is picked from the very best parcels of old vine Shiraz on the Taranga vineyard– it has been barrel selected and bottle aged for optimum enjoyment.
From the winemaker aboout this wine: “2020 was a challenging vintage in a challenging world. There was a significant lack of rain through winter and spring, and an early heat spike during grape set that resulted in loss of crop. Hence, 2020 was an extremely low tonnage vintage, with the added bonus of a global pandemic! Thankfully what quantity we lost was more than made up for by the superb quality, so our loss is your gain. It just means there’s much less to go round…”
“100% Shiraz. Aromas of fruitcake spice, chocolatey mocha, cherry and anise. Smoked pepper melding with mocha and blackberry cherry fruits, leading to a core of beautiful plummy fruits with a wet asphalt mineral note. So much power, yet so much finesse. Super fresh and supple drinking now, but the HJ will reward cellaring for those so inclined. 14.5% alc.”
96 points, Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot “This McLaren vale Shiraz comes from an old block planted in 1974 with the Reynella clone. It follows a similar winemaking approach to the Grenache with open fermentation and no additions of acid, tannin or sulphur following indigenous yeast fermentation. The extra richness and weight has enabled a small amount of new oak influence which brings a nice lift and energy to the palate. So fine and smoothly balanced with a strong sense of tasting the vineyard here.”
95 points, Andrew Caillard MW “Deep crimson. Espresso, panforte, dark cherry, plum aromas with mocha notes. Smooth velvety wine with ample choc-berry fruits, panforte notes, fine ripe tannins and integrated mocha, vanilla peat smoke complexity. Finishes chocolaty and long. A sweet and savour wine with linear fresh acidity that is worth keeping for a while to let the elements fold together. Drink now to 2032. “
93 Points, Ned Goodwin for James Halliday Australian Wine Companion “.. Typical warm-climate shiraz. Chocolatey, meaty and rich, with abundant fruitcake spice, dark-fruit allusions and oak. Tannins are well hewn for compression and focus. Uncanny levels of freshness. Plenty to like.”
RRP $76 **Our Special Price $59.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine**
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