Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Dead Arm Shiraz is a bright deep purple. Intense aromas of black cherries, mocha, Kalamata olives and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful with concentrated flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black olive seasoned with nori. A rich but balanced acid line provides length and persistence. The complexity of the tannins is truly unique. They are direct and focused, while being creamy and luxurious. Also maintaining incredible power and structure which gives this wine great cellaring ability. A wonderfully concentrated wine with complexity and a strong personality.
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
This is resolutely old school, with ample appeal for those chasing full-fruited shiraz supported by a bold tannic framework. However, though there’s a little warmth here, this is no bigger-is-better wine. There’s dark brambly fruits, dried olive, plum and an earthy, ferrous mineral overlay. The tannins are dusty and rugged but not overwhelming, and the mid-palate happily avoids pooling rich fruits. The connection between fruit and structure has not yet synched, so a few years of rest will do this a favour.
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James Suckling
A malty nose, segueing to mulch, tapenade and forest accents, plus cloves, sassafras and blue fruit. A full-bodied wine that is showing considerable development and the clear capacity for further time in bottle. This said, I would not wait long. The tannins are astringent and drying across the finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Simultaneously juicy and firm, the ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, plum and blueberry are set up against a firm, gravelly background of dense tannins. Peppery, tobacco and cedar accents, along with a mix of dried herbs, add to the charm, as do the chewy tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2037.
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.