Tasting Notes
Marananga, centred in the North West quadrant of the Barossa provides some of the Valley’s most powerful wines. The red brown clay loam soils with schists and siltstone yield flavours of jam and fruitcake, cardamom, blueberry fruits, cocoa powder with an undercurrent of roasted meats and crackling.
Winemaking
To ensure the unique character of this sub region is exemplified in the wine, small open fermenters and our basket press were employed to gently extract the wine. Aging in the finest quality oak for 18 months and selection of the truest barrels has created a wine that respects and expresses its place of origin.
Reviews
GOLD MEDAL
Review by: Berlin Wine Trophy 2021
Review by: Berlin Wine Trophy 2021
93 Points
Review by: Andrew Caillard MW
Review by: Andrew Caillard MW
Deep crimson. Fresh dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate aromas with herb garden liquorice notes. Buoyant fruit driven style with abundant dark cherry blackberry dark berry flavours, plentiful fine chalky/ chocolaty tannins, underlying roasted walnut notes and persistent long acidity. Finishes crispy firm with plentiful sweet red liquorice/ aniseed/ dark fruits. Drink Now – 2026
94 Points
Review by: Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
Review by: Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
This series is designed to reflect what some of the top sub-regions in the Barossa can offer. A terrific idea on several levels. Simply, we have some stunning drinking here, whether such things as ‘terroir’ interest you or whether you really could not care less. For those who do enjoy the geeky side of wine (admit it, I certainly do), these wines showcase what each sub-region can highlight. And as any fan of Barossa reds (and indeed, any fan of what Penfolds offer the world) can tell you, Marananga sits at the top of the tree. Others include the Eden Valley, Greenock and Ebenezer. But Marananga will give you Shiraz of great power, flavour and length. Small open fermenters used, before basket pressing, and then 18 months oak maturation. The wine is a hefty 15.5% alcohol, but it is all so well balanced that this is not the slightest problem.
The colour is black, just black. Serious aromatics follow – chocolate, blackcurrants, hints of roast meats. There is concentration here and yet it sits nicely alongside a lovely plushness. There is actually even a touch more elegance here than one would anticipate and which the nose suggests. Focus, length, very fine tannins round out this belter, as notes of leather, cocoa powder and black fruits emerge.
The colour is black, just black. Serious aromatics follow – chocolate, blackcurrants, hints of roast meats. There is concentration here and yet it sits nicely alongside a lovely plushness. There is actually even a touch more elegance here than one would anticipate and which the nose suggests. Focus, length, very fine tannins round out this belter, as notes of leather, cocoa powder and black fruits emerge.
96 Points
Review by: Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
Review by: Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
Perfumed and inviting, the stunning bouquet reveals mixed berry compote, dark cocoa, olive and cedary oak characters, followed by a sumptuous palate displaying plush mouthfeel and velvety tannins. Magnificently composed and styled with a persistent gratifying finish. At its best: 2024 to 2039.
93 Points
Review by: Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Review by: Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Shiraz sourced from the western subregion of Marananga, aged in oak for 18 months. Lifted aromas of blackberry, black cherry and blood plum with hints of fruitcake spice, dark chocolate, roasting meats, cocoa powder, cedar and earth. Opulent and rich with black fruit and fruitcake notes, great fruit weight, long-chain tannins and just a tweak of dried herbs on the finish.
