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1839 was the year in which William and Elizabeth Oliver arrived from Scotland to settle at McLaren Vale. Six generations later, members of the family are still living on the Whitehill and Taranga farms, 2kms north of McLaren Vale. The Taranga property has 12 varieties plantedon 92ha; historically grapes from the property have been sold to up to 5 diffeent wineries, but since 1994 some of the old vine Shiraz has been made under the Oliver's Taranga label. From the 2000 vintage, the wine has been made by Corrina Rayment (the Oliver family's first winemaker and a sixth generation family member). James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2006
Corrina Rayment is the sixth generation of the Oliver family to work on the Taranga property. Grapes from this vineyard find their way into Penfolds Grange and Eileen Hardy Shiraz. No mean feat.
TASTING NOTES
Deep, dark maroon in colour, the nose is intense with mulberry and dark Belgian chocolate pepper and spice nuances. Subtle and elegant fine grained tannins dominate the mouthfeel of this wine-silky and long. The fruit is intense and rich. The balance and complexity of this wine is fabulous.
Awards
Boutique Wines of Australia 2007(Class 13), Gold Medal
Winewise Small Vigneron Awards(Class 34), Gold Medal
Sydney International Wine Competition 2007, Blue Gold
2007 Adeliade Review, Hot 100 South Australian Wines
OTHER REVIEWS
The 2004 Shiraz 'HJ Reserve' was aged for 2 years in 100% new French. It was sourced from the estate's 65 year old vineyard with a miniscule yield of 1 tonne per acre. Opaque purple, it has an enticing bouquet of toasty oak, smoke, saddle leather, espresso, mocha, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Medium to full-bodied and opulent, the wine has super succelent black and blue fruit flavours, well concealed tannins and a very long, 60 second finish. Because of its superb balance, it will evolve for at least a decade and provide pleasure through 2030. However, for those unable to delay gratification, it will make a great companion to a giant slab of prime rib - 95 Points, Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate #173, Oct 2007
..As you would hope, the best is possibly yet to come.A just bottled sample of the superlative 2004 HJ Reserve revealed a heady, dark-fruited perfume and a silky, refined palate of exceptional elegance and pure, explosive flavour.It was simply too early too rate, I expect to deliver a score handsomely over 19.0 once it settles down, with an all important estimate of longevity well beyond twenty years.I have seen all the evidence I need to suggest that 2004 will go down in history as the finest re McLaren Vale vintage to its time, and this should be one of its highlights... Jeremy Oliver, April 2007
...Supple and plush, it moves seamlessly through in layers, builds intensity and depth, finishing with assertive concentration... Adeliade Review Hot 100, 2007
...This is a shiraz lover's dream: exotically perfumed, richly flavoured and already multi-dimensional...Tony Harper, Brisbane News, December 2007.
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