Origin: McLaren Vale
Region: South Australia
Grape(s): Shiraz
Style: Full-bodied red wine aged in new French oak
Drinkability: Impress
Alcohol: 14.8%
Open your spice draw and pull out all of your woody spices; cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves… That?s what you can expect with your first smell of Dead Arm Shiraz. The savoury theme continues on the palate and more so as the wine evolves. Umami flavours are the dominant feature. Eventually the dried porcini notes surrender to a spiced plum or perhaps sour cherry note. A lovely refined palate with an elegant tannin profile that is fine and supple. Certainly a wine more about subtlety and nuance than brooding, boisterous power.
Nothing, they say, succeeds like success. Few operations in Australia fit this dictum better than d’Arenberg, which has kept its 100+-year-old heritage while moving into the 21st century with flair and elan. At last count the d’Arenberg vineyards, at various locations, have 37 varieties planted, as well as more than 50 growers in McLaren Vale. There is no question that its past, present and future revolve around its considerable portfolio of richly robed red wines – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache being the cornerstones.
