2019 d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 6 Pack

95 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

Bright fruit characters are evident immediately from the first engagement. On the nose, savoury spicy plum and dried herb and sage combination burst open. And then a palate that is deeply intense and opulently smooth starts to reveal its best qualities. Has a chalky dusty thread with a little crushed rock influence. It’s quite dry on the finish after the richness of the middle palate.

95 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

The current release of their flagship red in which small batches of grapes were crushed and placed in five tonne headed down open fermenters, which saw foot treading when fermentation was 2/3 rds complete. Basket pressing followed, to a mix of new and older French oak. Excellent pricing for a flagship red of this quality. An opaque purple/maroon hue, the nose exhibits notes of chocolate, licorice, bergamot, blackcurrants, coffee grinds, cold tea and beef stock. The oak integration has been handled in the most exemplary manner. This is youthful, rich, powerful and bold with big flavours. Ideal for those who love big, ripe, concentrated wines, even when they are still young. Serious length is on display here with good balance, fresh acidity, firm tannins and intensity which runs for the full length of the wine. This will drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.

93 POINTS

Marcus Ellis - Halliday 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.

92 POINTS

Ned Goodwin - JamesSuckling.com

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.

92 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Just over twenty years ago I travelled to McLaren Vale to interview d’Arenberg’s Chester Osborn for one of the early editions of The Winefront. The result is – here. Back then, in what now seems so foreign that it almost seems bizarre, I could rock up to a winery and spend hours and hours with a winemaker, just shooting the breeze, which always produced excellent, guard-down, casual fodder to write about. The trick about these visits was that all these hours were one-on-one, walking around, many times me just following the winemaker as they worked. It was in the casual moments that the best things were said. Now when I visit a winery the whole winemaking team is there and it’s more formal and everyone watches what they say. Anyways. I just re-read the article referred to above and, as I have done many times over the years, I wondered if Chester still talks about wine in the way he did back then. I’ll have to re-visit sometime. There’s a lot of wine in this release. It’s old school and it’s warm-to-hot, but it’s well integrated and it’s neat, the latter almost too much so. Blackberry nip, raspberry, peppercorn and toasty/salty vanilla characters fill the palate with bold flavour. Tannin is just enough and slightly tinny, and while the finish is satisfying alcohol does thin the flavour there a little.

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 The Dead Arm Shiraz is firm and tannic, drying and full in the mouth. Layers of black fruit, exotic spice and all manner of black things color the experience here. The oak here is prominent; the density and grittiness of the palate are surely attributed to élevage and not wholly fruit. There’s a lot going on, and it’s potentially polarizing in its density and fire. No wallflower here. 15% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.