Oliver’s Taranga Mencia 2020

Oliver’s Taranga has some serious Shiraz – no doubt about it. But in the current releases, my pick was the Mencia, a grape variety which flourishes in North-Eastern Spain. And if this wine is anything to go by, plenty of growers should be getting on the phone and ordering some vines now!

It’s beautifully understated and you’d be hard pressed to put this in McLaren Vale without seeing the label with its superb mix of roasted meat, white pepper and liquor cherry aromas well supported by gently toasted coconut oak. That complexity is then matched by an energetic palate – floral, spicy flavours on one hand and tarry asphalt on the other supported by fresh acidity and mouthcoating tannins which carry a long, intriguing finish. A super introduction to what this variety can do.