d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 1998
Syrah/Shiraz
from McLaren Vale, Australia
winemaker's notes:
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 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.
user reviews:
The top 3 most liked reviews for this wine.
A Customer - Australia
I was privy to this wine last year when i was in Adelaide for the Adelaide wine show. Myself and a friend decided to venture to "Darry's Verandah restaurant" in McLaren Vale where it was over lunch did I get to sample the 1998 Dead Arm Shiraz. Showing a deep ruby red colour with superb palate weight and length and tannins suggesting around 12-15 months in oak, this wine was one one the best of an amazing 98 vintage in South Australia. Showing and alcohol percentage of around the 13.5% mark it would suggest that this wine could leave an annoying burning sensation on the back palate, however this is not the case. Being such a good vintage however, this wine, drinking now, was a little tight and closed but has a cellaring potential of up to 15 years.
Cheers Tyrone Stott
