Winemaker Notes
Vintage 2005 could be summarized as a vintage that ripened without interruptions. The resultingwines are tight with amazing red fruit fragrance and lovely acidity. Crops yields were above averagealthough slightly under the 2004 vintage.
Only the best barrels of Shiraz are selected to be bottled as The Dead Arm. The 2005 Dead Armdisplays intense cedar, fig, blackberry, blueberry, and pepper aromas. Perfectly structured with a longand rich framework, it will yield this wine great aging power. After time in the bottle, the Dead Armgains a biscuity, cinnamon, caramel and eucalyptus based bouquet on top of rich blackberry pie smells.Tobacco, mushroom, malt, spice and earth flavors play a complementary part on the long, fleshyfinish.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
D’Arenberg’s most famous wine is its flagship, The Dead Arm Shiraz. The 2005 The Dead Arm Shiraz is sourced from ancient head-pruned vines. It was aged for 22 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak. It is opaque purple/black with an expansive perfume of toast, smoke, spice box, mineral, pencil lead, tar, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, opulent, and super-concentrated, this structured, lengthy wine will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and drink well through 2025.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.