Rich in character and layered in complexity, the 2013 The Swinging Malaysian is a striking Shiraz from d’Arenberg’s esteemed Amazing Sites collection. Sourced from a storied vineyard with a quirky past, this vintage opens with a burst of vibrant blueberry and dark plum aromas, evolving into a deeply savory experience on the palate. Notes of woody spices—clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon—meld with dark chocolate, dried porcini, and sour cherry. Silky tannins and superb texture underpin its elegant structure, while a long, umami-rich finish leaves a lasting impression. A poised and nuanced Shiraz, this wine is a testament to the power and finesse of McLaren Vale.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 93
Published: Jun 26, 2019

Vibrant blueberry aromas here. Such a silky and delicious feel to this smooth, mulberry and dark plum-flavored shiraz. The tannins are long and silky and really plush, delivering dark-plum and chocolate flavors deep on the finish. Drink now. Screw cap. 

Darenberg.com.au

Amazing intensity, focus and length; Dark chocolate comes through strongly, and the texture is superb.

TASTING NOTE
Open your spice draw and pull out all of your woody spices; cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves... That?s what you can expect with your first smell of The Swinging Malaysian Shiraz. The savoury theme continues on the palate and more so as the wine evolves. Umami flavours are the dominant feature. Eventually the dried porcini notes surrender to a spiced plum or perhaps sour cherry note. A lovely refined palate with an elegant tannin profile that is fine and supple. Certainly a wine more about subtlety and nuance than brooding, boisterous power.

THE VINTAGE
A warm and dry Spring and Summer followed by further dry conditions
throughout harvest meant a number of things. Firstly disease pressure was negligible, the vast majority of fruit being very clean. Secondly yields were down. Finally ripening happened relatively quickly.
From a quality perspective in regards to Shiraz, these conditions produced wines of incredible colour and flavour. Dark, brooding wines with great volumes of fruit and layers of chewy, velvety tannin
structure. Big, concentrated wines but beautifully balanced.

WINEMAKING
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. The wine is then basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and used French oak barriques to complete fermentation. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, and there is no racking until final blending. Only the best Shiraz blocks from each vintage are selected to be part of the Amazing Sites range.

BEHIND THE NAME
Purchased in an era of free love, this vineyard has also done its fair share of swinging! First planted to shiraz in the 70s, it was grafted to Riesling, but was returned to its origins in 2001. Imported vineyard posts from Malaysia were trialled here but were too weak and had to be replaced.