Expect dense blackberry, plum, blueberry, black pepper, dark chocolate, smoked meat, and refined oak with full body and structured tannins. At 14 years from vintage, the wine should be drinking well with secondary notes emerging.
- Varietal
- Shiraz (100%, from old vines including some affected by the eutypa lata fungal disease that gives the wine its name — diseased vine arms produce more concentrated fruit)
- Region
- Australia / South Australia / McLaren Vale
- Body
- Full
- Style
- dry red, structured, oak-aged, age-worthy
The producer
d'Arenberg is a McLaren Vale producer founded in 1912 and run for decades by Chester Osborn, known for his eccentric labels and the dramatic Cube tasting room. The Dead Arm Shiraz is one of the estate's flagship wines, sourced from old vines whose dieback (eutypa lata) concentrates the fruit on the remaining healthy arms.
What critics say
The Dead Arm consistently receives scores in the mid- to high-90s from major critics and is regarded as one of McLaren Vale's most acclaimed Shirazes.
Pairing
Grilled ribeye, braised short rib, smoked brisket