D'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 2003

A "wow" wine -- intense without being jammy, with beautiful black currant and blackberry flavors with warm spices, mushroom, white pepper and cigar box accents. Long, complex finish. Ready to drink now and over the next seven or eight years.

Notes are from 375 mil bottle. Nose closed on initial pour. Allowed to sit in Riedel Vinum Shiraz glass for an hour before trying. The only smell coming through first evening was camphor. The taste was not unpleasant, tannins were smooth and the fruit, though evident it was there somewhere -- was clearly hiding. On day two I poured another glass. The nose was definitely more alive with camphor smell replaced by black cherry. The flavor was more complex than day one, and I enjoyed the wine, but to me it didn't warrant the 96 point Parker score, or the other 90+ scores here in CT. I have one more 375 read more...and two 750s so I will see how this wine evolves. [86]    (hide)

July 2006

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; The 2003 season was characterised by a very low winter rainfall which signaled the vines to minimize potential crop load. The ripening period was warm producing a harvest of small berries and very pure- ripe fruit characters. Even with a smaller than normal crop- many batches showed wonderful fruit characters due to an excellent skin to pulp ratios and this is evident in the final wine. Vivid- young- dense- purple red colour. Very intense aromas with a complex combination of fragrant spices and violets- read more...dark cherry- blackberry and blueberry- are made more complex with great liquorice- pepper and integrated svelte of boot-polish like characters. The taste is rich- gutsy and virile- with attacking spice- dark liquorice- cherry- blackberry- plum and dried black olive. The level of fruit weight masks the framework of tannins however- the mineral grittiness balanced with a very long fruit-fragrant- persistent spice will yield a wine of great ageing power. - d'Arenberg Robert Parker 95 points! One of this estate's flagship wines- the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper- richer- fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak- it possesses an opaque purple color- great intensity- and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries- cassis- asphalt- earth- and oak. Powerful- super-concentrated- and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines- this is a classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years. Wine Advocate #161 (Oct 2005) 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

I love this wine, dark, rich and long. I think it may need another 3 to 5 year to reach its full potential, it got better after leaving it in the glass for an hour. I have drank it on three different occasions and for the price, I would highly recommend it.

August 2007

One of this estate's flagship wines, the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper, richer, fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak, it possesses an opaque purple color, great intensity, and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, asphalt, earth, and oak. Powerful, super-concentrated, and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines, this is a classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years.-Wine Advocate

Notes are from 375 mil bottle. Nose closed on initial pour. Allowed to sit in Riedel Vinum Shiraz glass for an hour before trying. The only smell coming through first evening was camphor. The taste was not unpleasant, tannins were smooth and the fruit, though evident it was there somewhere -- was clearly hiding. On day two I poured another glass. The nose was definitely more alive with camphor smell replaced by black cherry. The flavor was more complex than day one, and I enjoyed the wine, but to me it didn't warrant the 96 point Parker score, or the other 90+ scores here in CT. I have one more 375 read more...and two 750s so I will see how this wine evolves.    (hide)

July 2006