d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 1999

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.