d'Arenberg d'Arrys Original Shiraz/Grenache 2003

This wine is named in honour of d'Arenberg's principal, Francis d'Arenberg Osborn, universally known as d'Arry. d'Arry's Original – called d'Arry's Burgundy in the 60's, 70's and 80's ( in the days when medium bodied red wines with a soft finish were always called Burgundy) has always been made from Shiraz and Grenache, the backbone varieties of McLaren Vale, grown on d'Arenberg's low-yielding, 19th century vineyards.

For the first 50 years, the Osborn family grew grapes and from 1928, sold wine in bulk, some of which made its way back to the United Kingdom for consumption. It was not until 1958 that the first wine was made and sold in bottles bearing the distinctive diagonal red stripe and the d'Arenberg name. The 1967 d'Arenberg Burgundy won 7 Trophies and 25 Gold Medals in a show record which at the time was unsurpassed.

d'Arry's Original is very much a traditional style of wine, being rich, lucious and opulently soft and very much an expression of terroir and variety which ages spectacularly. The final blend varies from year to year in an effort to maintain the well-established hallmarks of d'Arry's Original.

Gentle handling through the winery includes crushing through the Demoisy crusher, open fermentation with the traditional heading down boards and foot treading followed by basket pressing through the 19th century ‘Coq' and ‘Bromley & Tregoning' basket presses and then into almost 18 months barrel maturation in old French and American oak.

In its youth d'Arry's Original display a bright magenta like brick red colour. The nose invariably attacks with lifted spicy cinnamon plum, mulberry & prune aromas. Typically cherry, wild strawberry & lolly-like musk smells also, as well as tighter liquorice, spice, rosemary & fennel smells.

Hints of coffee & caramel on the nose are usually quite evident on the palate; a backdrop for cherry-raspberry & richer mulberry-blackberry primary fruit. The palate is typically d'Arenberg & McLaren Vale, soft & rich in the middle, rolling on to a soft but slightly piquant acid/tannin finish.

Coffee, mocha, chocolate & leather emerge as dominant older fruit aromas flavours alongside gamey, earthy, cedar like & minty smells. The classic hallmark of peppery-spicy character develops & the velvety texture remains. Occasionally, dried sour cherry aromas & ever so slightly bitter blackberry tannin on the palate develop, increasing the wine's food applicability.

Well cellared, d'Arry's Original becomes, soft, generous, full flavoured, velvety long & seamless in bottle, with no particular component standing out, as more than four decades of previous vintages have shown.

Serve at room temperature 16 – 24 ºC. now or over the next 3 – 20 years with grilled or barbecued meats, potato based dishes, dishes with noodles, rice pasta, cous cous, served with beef, veal or lamb. Roast meats and mature cheese.