2003 | D'Arenberg | The Dead Arm Shiraz

The 2003 is deep, rich and full-bodied, with classic notes of sweet black fruits, scorched earth, leather, clove and black pepper.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: One of this estate’s flagship wines, the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper, richer, fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak, it possesses an opaque purple color, great intensity, and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, asphalt, earth, and oak. Powerful, super-concentrated, and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines, this is a classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years.

• James Halliday: Deep colour; typically massively rich and concentrated; black fruits, chocolate, tannins and oak are all fighting each other for top spot. Hopefully, a truce will be declared in 5 or so years.

Producer Information

D'Arenberg is a wine producer located in the McLaren Vale subregion of South Australia. The 60-plus wines in the portfolio are known as much for their quirky names as they are for their quality – d'Arenberg's flagship wine is called the Dead Arm, and other cuvées in the range include the Derelict Vineyard, the Love Grass, and the Vociferate Dipsomaniac. The estate was established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, who initially sold grapes from the vineyards to other wineries in the region. The d'Arenberg winery was built in 1927, and today, the estate is run by fourth-generation Chester Osborn and his father, d'Arry whom constructed the geometric d'Arenberg cube on the estate in 2017. The award-winning building is an architectural wonder, appearing to float in the vineyard. The range of vineyards at d'Arenberg allow for diversity within their portfolio of wines. Those in the McLaren Vale enjoy a warm, dry Mediterranean climate, cooled by the gully winds that come off the Sellicks Hills. These vineyards are planted to grape varieties like Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Marsanne, which thrive in the warm temperatures. In contrast, d'Arenberg's Adelaide Hills vineyard has a much cooler climate with grapes such as Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. All d'Arenberg vineyards are certified for organic and biodynamic processes. In the winery, all wines including the whites are basket-pressed after fermentation. D'Arenberg is well known for the Dead Arm Shiraz of the Icons range named after the fungal vine disease eutypa that often causes one arm of the vine to die. This intensifies and concentrates the grapes on the other side of the Shiraz vines, making an intensely flavored wine. The Dead Arm of the Icons range is often met with high-acclaim from both producers and consumers. Other notable wines include the complex-blend of The Old Bloke & The Three Young Blondes of which combines Shiraz with Roussane, Viognier and Marsanne as well as The Athazagoraphobic Cat - a blend of Sagrantino and Cinsault. This duo form the pinnacle range of the Supers. Interestingly, d'Arenberg produce a range of fortified wines, including a fortified Shiraz, a Rare Tawny and the pinnacle of this collection, the Daddy Long Legs Extremely Rare. This Extremely Rare is made with Grenache from the McLaren Vale, alongside a tiny portion of Pedro Ximenez. Its palate is full of baked figs, caramel, coffee and butterscotch, with a hint of rancio character.

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