D'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 1998

Upon release d'Arenberg's The Dead Arm Shiraz has a vivid young deep brick-red colour. The nose shows intense and complex cedary, fig, blackberry and blueberry like smells occasionally pepper/spice smells too. Vanilla mocha oak smells and attacking blackberry, cassis characters are also evident on the palate. Full, intense sweet, cedary middle palate flavours have a distinctly silky, svelte texture deceptively disguise the rich powerful cassis and toffee-mocha flavours. The accent is on powerful full bodied berry fruit flavour, with a little sweet English toffee like oak read more...evident on the juicy, rolling finish. After time in bottle the d'Arenberg's Dead Arm gains a biscuity, cinnamon, caramel and eucalyptus based bouquet on top of rich blackberry pie smells. Tobacco, mushrooms, malt, and earth aromas play a part on the long, elegant fleshy, chocolate mint flavours. Restrained tannin and acidity coupled with rich alcohol, produce a seamless, peppery, velvety rolling length.    (hide)

...outrageously rich, spectacular stuff, the likes of which only Australia seems capable of making. Whiners may complain that it is too big, too rich, too flavorful, and too damn good, but this opaque purple-colored offering is loaded with blackberry... Robert Parker. A Syrah wine from South Australia in Australia. 1998 Arenberg, D The Dead Arm Shiraz 750ml

January 2009

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Only 6 bottles or less available. Robert Parker 96 points! "The 1998 The Dead Arm Shiraz (from a vineyard planted prior to 1890) is outrageously rich- spectacular stuff- the likes of which only Australia seems capable of making. Whiners may complain that it is too big- too rich- too flavorful- and too damn good- but this opaque purple-colored offering is loaded with blackberry liqueur- smoke- charcoal- pepper- cassis- and licorice. Unctuously-textured and full-bodied- but neither heavy nor overbearing- read more...the wine's sweet tannin and low acidity are hidden in the cascade of fruit and glycerin that melt on the palate. This riveting- compelling effort can be drunk now- but promises to age well for two decades or more." 96 points Drink 2001-2021 Wine Advocate #135 (Jun 2001) Robert Parker d'Arenberg d'Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. In 1912 Joseph Osborn- a teetotaler and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons- purchased the well established Milton Vineyards in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue- now just known as McLaren Vale. d'Arenberg's wines of the 1960's gained immediate cult status amongst imbibers and judges. One Cabernet Sauvignon won a Jimmy Watson Trophy at the 1969 Royal Melbourne Wine Show and another Grenache - based wine was awarded 7 trophies and 29 gold medals from Australian capital city wine shows. It is understandable that by the 1970's d'Arenberg Wines had become very fashionable and had gained significant national and international profiles in less than 20 years. d'ArenbergDead ArmThe Dead Arm gets its name in a fairly inauspicious way - it is named after the disease (Eutypa Lata) which afflicts some of the oldest vines at d'Arenberg from which we get the majority of fruit destined for The Dead Arm. The disease- Eutypa Lata- or Dead Arm' is common all around the world in old vineyard sites. The disease in effect slowly reduces one of the arms' of the vines to dead wood- which then means the other arm of the vine produces small volumes of the most incredibly concentrated and highly flavoured grapes. This makes ideal material to go into this- our top Shiraz. The grapes are processed as are all of d'Arenberg reds- using the gentle Demoisy rubber toothed- open-mouthed crusher- and fermented in wax-lined- headed down open fermenters which are foot trod (and being ever hygiene-conscious here at d'Arenberg- the feet are clad in waders!) and temperature controlled. The still fermenting grapes are pressed off in baskets through the old Coq' and Bromley & Tregoning' presses into mainly new American and French oak barriques for 22 months or thereabouts- before blending and bottling at d'Arenberg. The Dead Arm is a spectacular example of McLaren Vale Shiraz - concentrated- multi-dimensional with huge fruit- length and texture- immense balance and ageing potential.    (hide)

October 2008

In stock limited

October 2009

Rating: 3/5 - As reviewed by Decanter A big, beefy but balanced nose. Fruit and tannin. A big mouthful, good length and balance.

Rating: 90(+?) - As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 91, July/August 2000 Bright ruby. Blackberry, bitter chocolate, cracked pepper, eucalyptus and a whiff of game on the complex nose. Fat, sweet and dense, with concentrated blackberry, dark chocolate and mint flavors. From small berries, and it shows in the wine intensity. Finishes with dusty, even, tongue-coating tannins and notes of mint, spicy oak and blackberry. Quite young and unevolved.