The 2022 Oliver's Taranga Vineyard DJ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a highly regarded, sustainable, flagship red wine named in honour of fifth-generation vigneron and current vineyard caretaker Don "DJ" Oliver, celebrated for his dedication, grit, and lifelong passion for growing the estate's finest fruit. It is an exceptional, barrel-selected expression of 100% estate-grown McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the 1973 "Old Block" vines, benefiting from the long, even, and cool ripening conditions of the 2022 vintage.
- Aromas: Mulberry jelly, choc-mint biscuits, and sweet vanillin oak mingle with floral notes of lavender, rosemary flowers, and bracken.
- Palate: Highly delineated with cassis, briary blackberry, tart red plum, anise, and a distinct touch of cherry berry flavors.
- Style: Full-bodied, firm, and concentrated, astutely balancing its intense old-vine fruit with bright regional acidity and a seamless structure.
- Winemaking: Sourced from legacy blocks of the Reynella clone, open-fermented using indigenous yeasts, and matured for 18 months in French oak hogsheads (30% new).
- Cellaring: Strikingly charming now, but the array of fine, ripe, and chewy tannins bodes exceptionally well for cellar development through 2040.
- Food Pairing: Pairs magnificently with traditional slow-cooked roast lamb, a premium char-grilled ribeye steak, or rich beef and field mushroom stew.
This wine completely transcends the over-extracted style common to the region, delivering a sophisticated, highly structured expression of old-vine depth and dark-fruited power from a multi-generational estate with a viticultural legacy dating back to 1841.
Olivers Taranga
Oliver's Taranga is one of McLaren Vale's most storied family properties, settled in 1841 with vines following shortly after. Now in the hands of sixth-generation family members, the Olivers are regarded as one of the region's leading sustainably certified growers — a reputation so well-founded that they are among the select few chosen to supply fruit for Penfolds Grange Shiraz.
At the helm of the winery is the effervescent Corrina Wright, whose talent and ambition have taken Oliver's Taranga to new heights. Corrina is rapidly building a reputation for producing ultra-premium, age-worthy wines that do full justice to the exceptional fruit the family grows. She is also earning well-deserved recognition for her prominent role in the Women in Wine movement.
Oliver's Taranga has long been defined by its premium red varieties, and the rich, structured wines they produce. But Corrina and the family are now embracing an exciting new chapter — the development of Mediterranean varieties that are proving beautifully suited to McLaren Vale's climate and soils. Far from a departure, these varieties are becoming a defining expression of the region itself, and Corrina's commitment remains the same: that every wine, old variety or new, reflects the unique and irreplaceable character of the Taranga Vineyard."
