Last bottle of 12, very dark, concentrated, moderately extracted, plenty of typical Aussie dark fruit, a good dose of oak, RS is noticeable but in check, appears to be fully integrated. Paired nicely with pistachio encrusted rack of lamb!
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Lovely nose of fresh fruit, spice and earth all nicely integrated. Incredible potential. On the palate the tannins are soft but still very high, overwhelming some of the more delicate flavours.
Medium garnet colour.
Medium (+) intensity aromas of black berry, black cherry, dark plum, strawberry, roasted meat, oak, cloves, allspice, dried herbs and asphalt.
Medium (+) intensity palate.
Full body, medium (+) acidity, high tannin, long finish.
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Closed and mute on day one. Day two, much better, lots of dark fruit on the nose, rich and full. Smooth on entry, rich again, but with some nice balancing acidity. More dark fruit, plum and blackcurrant. Very long, finish with a fair lick of nicely integrated tannin. I'd say it's around its peak, maybe a year or two ahead of it.
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Deep garnet. Dark fruits, almonds, toast palate. Well balanced, tannins well integrated, medium finish. Hasn’t improved since last tasted in 2020, but drinking well and probably has 2/3 more years longevity.
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Very nice. Nose fruit driven, mid red fruits, think raspberries. Palate is fresh, again fruit, but well balanced against integrated, yet grippy tannins. To me this is a bit towards the Pinot spectrum, not finding the blood and iron I expect in a Northern Rhone wine. Don’t mind, highly enjoyable as it is.
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3rd bottle over as many years. Gentle nose of cherry and cassis. Palate is smooth and well balanced with a good long finish. Overall enjoyable if a little simple and better value to be had in northern Rhône. I had hoped some more complexity would develop in time but there's no sign of this. There is no rush to drink this as it will drink well for a decade or more.
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Decanted, plenty of dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, a bit of chocolate, white pepper, smooth long finish. No need to be in a hurry to drink these as they may not improve but certainly should hold for several more years.
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I found this to be more impressive than lovable. Plenty of colour and density of blue fruit, with a little bottle development, but some hard angularity from both tannin and acidity--as if by dint of added acidity or mis-matched screwcap.
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Deep ruby/garnet, plums/damsons on the nose. Medium/full bodied, decanted 2/3 hours, still a little closed initially but opened up in the glass. Bit of liquorice on the palate in addition to the black fruits. Amazed that WS awarded this 76 points in 2015.
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Decanted and tasted, quite rich, dark, concentred of course, typical sweetness, no short change of flavor here, just in your face McLaren Valley Shiraz. 4 bottles left, no hurry to drink, but not likely to get better..
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Intense, red and black fruits, chocolate and earthy hints. Full body, M acidity and M tannins. Round and well balanced. M+ finish. Can be aged a few more years
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Decanted for sediment, this bottle was loaded with typical McLaren Vale dark fruit, quite extracted, ripe, rich, though lacking complexity, still a nice bottle.
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Improved since a year ago. Smoky dark berry and eucalyptus nose. Full bodied. Good balance with just the right level of tannic backbone and a long finish. A little simple and could gain complexity in time.
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This is a really nice wine drinking very well. Smooth, complex, nice mouthfeel and good finish. Consistent with my last bottle. Would buy again. 93 -- 94.
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This really strikes a nice, perhaps perfect, balance between modern fruit driven styles and old school denser, acid corrected warm climate Aussie shiraz. It’s svelte, rich, savoury enough to make it really interesting.
Drinking now, and over the next decade or so.
{14%, cork}. I hope some of the vintage was bottled under screwcap.
Quite a bomb of a wine. Opened and tasted, then came back to it 3 days later and it's a big rich savoury meaty stew with darkness and acidity in balance. Still going strong.
Just as I expected, a classy Shiraz with d’Arenberg’s signature earthy dark berry and rustic undertone. Even better tasting on the 2nd day of being opened.
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Raspberry and berries on the nose. Really nice flavors of berries and a little spice. Nice mouthfeel and long finish. Very enjoyable and a good QPR, in my opinion. I would buy again. Drank over about 90 minutes with no decant.
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Light nose of cherry and cassis. Palate is smooth and well balanced with a good long finish. Overall enjoyable if a little simple and better value to be had in northern Rhône. No hurry to drink this so I’ll wait and see if the other bottles develop some complexity.
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Open air decant for 2-3 hours. Blackcherry, meaty, medium tannin Shiraz. Solid nose. Fairly lengthy finish. For this price point there are better options i.e. (Penfolds Bin 389) (Torbreck The struie)
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Last red wine at our wine tasting dinner (#DCWineCru) is The Dead Arm from d'Arenberg in the McLaren Vale. Aged for 18 months in a mixture of new and used French oak as well as used American oak. Made by Chester Osborn (chief winemaker) and Jack Walton (senior winemaker).
Deep garnet red core with lighter edges. A touch woody on the nose with some cedar, red plums, light sweet spices and savory herbs. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and solid acidity with a medium body. Lots of twigs on the palate with cherries, mulberries and some earthiness. Medium length finish. Drink till 2023.
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Quite astringent, surprisingly this bottle lacks the concentration one would expect from an Aussie Shiraz at any price, however some soft cherry, plum and hints of cassis make this bottle drinkable, NR
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Deep Ruby Red, Clean, Off-Dry Sweetness, Medium-Full Body, Black Fruits with Black Pepper Spice but Not Much Character & Complexity, Medium Plus Tannin, Medium Plus Alcohol.
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Rich nose of blackberries and plum, some fresh herbs. Full bodied, long with smooth tannin, a mouthfull of dark berries, with fine acidity, great stuff!
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I was surprised how unenjoyable this wine was. It should have enough years under it to have evolved, but neither my wife nor I like this much at all. Modest fruit, tinge of alcohol on finish, tannins were integrated fairly well, just not much character at all. If it was a cheaper wine, I may have just dumped it and opened something else. Two more in storage, but I don't have much hope this will get any better in the next couple years.
This is a big wine, no doubt. But the tannic grip has eased up considerably, and it is now ready to drink, although I suspect that this wine has at least another decade to reach peak maturity. Dark plums, chocolate, blackberries, fresh. The oak is there, but more or less integrated. We drank this side by side with a Luke Lambert Yarra Valley Syrah and it was very clear that this had a more classic McLaren or Barossa fruit profile. Liked it quite a bit actually.
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Still quite backward with fairly grippy tannins. Needs a bit longer in the decanter than the hour I gave it. Liked it, but didn't love it. Plenty of fruit which should, hopefully, come to the fore. I think it will soften and improve. Will keep the other bottles for 3-4 more years at least.
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Drinking pretty well. Very modern in style. Noticeable oak, but not overwrought. Serious black fruits. Very nice tannin profile. Long finish. Great with strip steaks.
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Screw cap. Night 1 had moderate fruit with fine grain tannins as others noted. However, marred by bitter finish. Night 2 (gassed and cellared 57 degrees f) about same, gassed and recapped. Day 8 reopened and bitterness is gone, fruit only slightly subdued, only slightest hint of oxidation. Still a big modern oaky wine. Possibly worst bottle of DA one experienced, but others have usually hit out of their weight class. Also first screw cap. Any connection?
Opened and resealed 24 hours before tasting, big, rich black and blue fruit, hints of mocha and vanilla oak. This bottle appears more backward and unevolved than privious bottles, needs several more years to fully integrate.
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Decated 1 hour and consumed over the next 1 plus hours, paired with pistachio crusted rack of lamb. This bottle seemed more approachable than either of the privious two tasted, perhaps it was the richness of the lamb. In any case this was delisous, bursting with classic dead arm dark concentrated fruit, bit of vanilla, blueberries and raspberries, softer and rounder than most dead arm that I have tasted.
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Bright ruby color, with a bit more strawberry on the nose than a typical Aussie Shiraz. Strawberry, blueberry, and smoke on the palate. This is lighter and brighter than most Shiraz (or is it just because I had a bottle of Astralis the night before?); not a bad thing, just different. Fine grain, but still very present tannins should allow it to cellar well for several more years. Well integrated and enjoyable.
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Purple rim still. On the nose, vanillan, oak, subdued berries. In the mouth, thick chewy fruit, strong furry tannin, slight earthy ferrous texture. Clearly an unevolved wine that needs another 6 years to hit its straps. If you drink it now it cries out for rare meat. Right now the tannin outweighs the fruit. Integration awaits. Will always be a muscular wine.
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Scents of blue and black fruit. Rich but balanced palate pairing the ripe fruit with mocha, charcoal and spice. Smooth, spicy tannins. Should improve with 2-3 more years of bottle age.
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Drank at a hog roast, big, rich, concentrated, dark fruit, plenty of tannins and firm acidity. Need some time to integrate but the fruit is present to support the tannins.
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This is better than the average rating. Dark, more brooding than the typical Aussie fruit bomb. Simple though, without much complexity and not as long as I would like. Very tasty.
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Popped and poured. Opaque purple colour. Not much to say really – a good quality muscle wine. Black fruit, dry soil and vanilla on the nose and palate. Rich and sweet, but balanced nicely by a good dollop of acidity. Wish I had a few more for the upcoming barbecue season.
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Tasted over two nights. This isn't a bad wine, but it's surprisingly thin. I agree with other reviewers who applauded the nose, but pegged the body as somewhat acidic, with tart cherries dominating the flavor profile. Reminds me of a CdR in a cool year or when Michael Mondavi was seeking "balanced" wines and picking the fruit too soon (WHY?!?!??). It might be time for me to bury the Dead given that the hedonistic pleasure isn't nearly up to snuff with vintages from 10+ years ago...or their sub-$20 bottles. Succinctly put, this is a disappointingly poor QPR.
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Day 1 was sour and borderline undrinkable after 1.5hr decant. From previous user notes we left to sit until day 3 and it was a completely different wine.
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Decanted and brought to room temperature approx one hour. I really liked this bottle, great complex nose of currants, plums, cedar and coffee, balanced palate of dark currants, cassis, blackberry, hints of licorice, drying tannins, suggesting extended bottle age would be beneficial, but maybe only 3 to 5 years. This is not as jammy and certainly not as sweet as many Aussie shiraz's, plenty of fruit to hold up against the tannins. Very good!
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The aroma is dark and abundant, rich dark plums, ripe mulberries bursting with juice. It’s a big wine. What would I have it with? Probably just a big glass, and have it all by itself.
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Thought this was really brilliant. Will last for a long, long time. The fruit is all wound up at the moment and only started to unfurl after a few hours in the decanter. Latent energy. Tight. Violets, blackberry, graphite minerals, black cherry, smoke, mocha oak. Piercing length and powerful intensity. The most impressive Dead Arm I've ever tried.
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Highly aromatic savoury nose with meaty and barnyard aromas leading the way, with underlying black fruits. Big and full-bodied on the palate, it has black fruit, chocolate and cocoa flavours. It's well-balanced with fine acids and silky, velvety tannins. Excellent length on the finish. Drink over the next 8-10 years.
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Spicy and earth on the nose, very tight and hard on the palate, very young.
Wow, that thing is tight.
This was the vintage where the fruit character was ripe at very sugar levels so they didn't need to hang there any longer. So this is 14% which is quite low and you definately feel that on the palate.
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The 2010 flagship Dead Arm Shiraz is yet again another brilliant effort by Chester Osborn. It offers a deep ruby core and vibrant aromas of blueberries, black currant, led pencil shavings and menthol. Full bodied and loaded with lush tannins it pleases the palate with classic Dead Arm unctuosity unleashing full-on flavours of white chocolate, caramel, burnt tar and a rich creme de cassis coating. The finish is pleasantly long and silky. An outstanding wine that needs another couple of years of cellaring before reaching its full potential. It should then provide pleasure in the glass for a decade.
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Drank in London Still very young, powerful primary nose with lots of dark fruit. Rich smooth palate. Nice but I expected a bit more. Need to give it more time.
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Opened for some time before drinking Dark fruit and mineral nose Dusty tannins leading into mineral and fruit layers - on finish tannins come through smoothly
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Deep licorice flavor, a nice fruit with tannin structure that has spice notes to it. Black pepper, coffee, a little bit of astringent/menthol along with black currant and cassis. The wine was solid and tasted better than the one I had in late 2013. Aging definitely helped it.
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Very closed, as earlier commentators said a minimum of 3 hours decanting needed. Cool climate, working well on finish, but struggling to compete with (admittedly more expensive) Washington syrahs. Varietal characteristics only really noticeable after 90 minutes
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Clean nose with medium+ aroma intensity. Aromas of black currant, cherries, dark plums, grass, black pepper, fresh herbs, cedar and coffee. Very "cool-climate nose". The nose is youthful.
Dry on the palate with medium acidity, medium+ tannins and body. The flavor intensity is medium and it has flavors of black currant, cherries, dark plums, grass, coffee and fresh herbs. The finish is medium+.
This wine was rather tight from the beginning but opened up after 3 hours in the decanter. At first I thought this was some kind of Bdx-blend with high percentage of Cab Franc but then the Shiraz-aromas started to show and the wine was just stunning. Very young today and needs some serious amount of air to get itself together. I'd rather cellar it for at least 5 years but it will last for a long time.
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"2014" Sydney International Wine Show - stewarding notes; 10/13/2013-10/18/2013 (Blue Mountains, NSW): {screwcap, 14.2%} What’s this? A d’Arenberg red at less than 14.5%? The times they are a-changin’. Peppery, cherry-like nose. The palate is oddly light; medium/high acidity, a distinctly savoury texture, it’s medium-bodied with quite discreet oak. Spicy, almost cool-climate flavours. Pepper. Doesn’t finish warmly either (medium-length). Well, interesting – I don’t quite know what to make of this, except to say it’s very young. Give it a few years I suppose; it seems to be balanced enough for that.
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2/12/2024 - FrancoisTardif Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very interesting wine. Not much fruit left. Ill say its around its peak right now.
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1/18/2024 - Ian_Rhie wrote: 93 Points
Powerful shiraz
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12/10/2023 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Last bottle of 12, very dark, concentrated, moderately extracted, plenty of typical Aussie dark fruit, a good dose of oak, RS is noticeable but in check, appears to be fully integrated. Paired nicely with pistachio encrusted rack of lamb!
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11/22/2023 - johnnnyvino wrote:
Great wine and in a much more youthful place than a 2007 I enjoyed a year ago. This has lots more muscle and life left.
If I had any more I would be tempted to wait 3-4 years.
Excellent wine at a good price.
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11/20/2023 - sjfunkenhauser wrote: 90 Points
Lovely nose of fresh fruit, spice and earth all nicely integrated. Incredible potential. On the palate the tannins are soft but still very high, overwhelming some of the more delicate flavours.
Medium garnet colour.
Medium (+) intensity aromas of black berry, black cherry, dark plum, strawberry, roasted meat, oak, cloves, allspice, dried herbs and asphalt.
Medium (+) intensity palate.
Full body, medium (+) acidity, high tannin, long finish.
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4/3/2023 - trepak wrote: 91 Points
Closed and mute on day one. Day two, much better, lots of dark fruit on the nose, rich and full. Smooth on entry, rich again, but with some nice balancing acidity. More dark fruit, plum and blackcurrant. Very long, finish with a fair lick of nicely integrated tannin. I'd say it's around its peak, maybe a year or two ahead of it.
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11/8/2022 - rwpalmer wrote: 92 Points
Much more integrated and enjoyable than my luke warm review of 2 years ago.
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1/10/2022 - foyfrcs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep garnet.
Dark fruits, almonds, toast palate.
Well balanced, tannins well integrated, medium finish.
Hasn’t improved since last tasted in 2020, but drinking well and probably has 2/3 more years longevity.
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8/28/2021 - Ajallo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice. Nose fruit driven, mid red fruits, think raspberries. Palate is fresh, again fruit, but well balanced against integrated, yet grippy tannins. To me this is a bit towards the Pinot spectrum, not finding the blood and iron I expect in a Northern Rhone wine. Don’t mind, highly enjoyable as it is.
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5/13/2021 - Mneumeier Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking really great. If you can get it, buy it and drink it.
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4/25/2021 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Smooth, rich, concentrated Shiraz, lots of dark fruit, long tart finish.
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3/25/2021 - wineforth Likes this wine: 90 Points
3rd bottle over as many years. Gentle nose of cherry and cassis. Palate is smooth and well balanced with a good long finish. Overall enjoyable if a little simple and better value to be had in northern Rhône. I had hoped some more complexity would develop in time but there's no sign of this. There is no rush to drink this as it will drink well for a decade or more.
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12/31/2020 - Tarpon222 wrote: 91 Points
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Drinking nicely
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12/25/2020 - redz wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple, still tasting young, good, but not the best qpr. Might evolve .
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11/28/2020 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Decanted, plenty of dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, a bit of chocolate, white pepper, smooth long finish. No need to be in a hurry to drink these as they may not improve but certainly should hold for several more years.
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9/4/2020 - foyfrcs wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby.
Dark fruits, cream, vanilla, cinnamon nose.
Similar palate.
Very good wine.
Still some life left ? 4/5 years.
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7/6/2020 - rwpalmer wrote: 89 Points
I found this to be more impressive than lovable. Plenty of colour and density of blue fruit, with a little bottle development, but some hard angularity from both tannin and acidity--as if by dint of added acidity or mis-matched screwcap.
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5/23/2020 - foyfrcs Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby/garnet, plums/damsons on the nose.
Medium/full bodied, decanted 2/3 hours, still a little closed initially but opened up in the glass. Bit of liquorice on the palate in addition to the black fruits.
Amazed that WS awarded this 76 points in 2015.
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5/18/2020 - jskuek Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours, Savoury, minerals, soy sauce, med body, Med+ finishing ...drinking well now ...
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5/15/2020 - wineshaman wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and tasted, quite rich, dark, concentred of course, typical sweetness, no short change of flavor here, just in your face McLaren Valley Shiraz. 4 bottles left, no hurry to drink, but not likely to get better..
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4/26/2020 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good balance and structure. Going to last for another decade at least.
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4/17/2020 - madia wrote: 91 Points
Intense, red and black fruits, chocolate and earthy hints. Full body, M acidity and M tannins. Round and well balanced. M+ finish. Can be aged a few more years
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4/5/2020 - wineshaman wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for sediment, this bottle was loaded with typical McLaren Vale dark fruit, quite extracted, ripe, rich, though lacking complexity, still a nice bottle.
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3/7/2020 - jcbrand Likes this wine: 92 Points
4th place out of 5.
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2/2/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 91 Points
Improved since a year ago. Smoky dark berry and eucalyptus nose. Full bodied. Good balance with just the right level of tannic backbone and a long finish. A little simple and could gain complexity in time.
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12/26/2019 - tastark Likes this wine:
Slightly more restrained than the last bottle.
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9/16/2019 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a really nice wine drinking very well. Smooth, complex, nice mouthfeel and good finish. Consistent with my last bottle. Would buy again. 93 -- 94.
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8/27/2019 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
This really strikes a nice, perhaps perfect, balance between modern fruit driven styles and old school denser, acid corrected warm climate Aussie shiraz. It’s svelte, rich, savoury enough to make it really interesting.
Drinking now, and over the next decade or so.
{14%, cork}. I hope some of the vintage was bottled under screwcap.
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6/23/2019 - therussianalias Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite a bomb of a wine. Opened and tasted, then came back to it 3 days later and it's a big rich savoury meaty stew with darkness and acidity in balance. Still going strong.
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4/5/2019 - Guns&Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just as I expected, a classy Shiraz with d’Arenberg’s signature earthy dark berry and rustic undertone. Even better tasting on the 2nd day of being opened.
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4/5/2019 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Raspberry and berries on the nose. Really nice flavors of berries and a little spice. Nice mouthfeel and long finish. Very enjoyable and a good QPR, in my opinion. I would buy again. Drank over about 90 minutes with no decant.
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3/16/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light nose of cherry and cassis. Palate is smooth and well balanced with a good long finish. Overall enjoyable if a little simple and better value to be had in northern Rhône. No hurry to drink this so I’ll wait and see if the other bottles develop some complexity.
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10/20/2018 - mpricher wrote: 90 Points
New world style with some old world meaty notes. Like a Northern Rhône. Really interesting with a smooth finish.
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9/18/2018 - R.Jos.Valent Likes this wine: 91 Points
Open air decant for 2-3 hours. Blackcherry, meaty, medium tannin
Shiraz. Solid nose. Fairly lengthy finish. For this price point there are better options i.e. (Penfolds Bin 389) (Torbreck The struie)
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7/13/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Last red wine at our wine tasting dinner (#DCWineCru) is The Dead Arm from d'Arenberg in the McLaren Vale. Aged for 18 months in a mixture of new and used French oak as well as used American oak. Made by Chester Osborn (chief winemaker) and Jack Walton (senior winemaker).
Deep garnet red core with lighter edges. A touch woody on the nose with some cedar, red plums, light sweet spices and savory herbs. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and solid acidity with a medium body. Lots of twigs on the palate with cherries, mulberries and some earthiness. Medium length finish. Drink till 2023.
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7/4/2018 - wineshaman wrote:
Quite astringent, surprisingly this bottle lacks the concentration one would expect from an Aussie Shiraz at any price, however some soft cherry, plum and hints of cassis make this bottle drinkable, NR
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3/19/2018 - Colin Maurise wrote: 88 Points
Deep Ruby Red, Clean, Off-Dry Sweetness, Medium-Full Body, Black Fruits with Black Pepper Spice but Not Much Character & Complexity, Medium Plus Tannin, Medium Plus Alcohol.
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2/9/2018 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich nose of blackberries and plum, some fresh herbs. Full bodied, long with smooth tannin, a mouthfull of dark berries, with fine acidity, great stuff!
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1/13/2018 - mikevince Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I was surprised how unenjoyable this wine was. It should have enough years under it to have evolved, but neither my wife nor I like this much at all. Modest fruit, tinge of alcohol on finish, tannins were integrated fairly well, just not much character at all. If it was a cheaper wine, I may have just dumped it and opened something else. Two more in storage, but I don't have much hope this will get any better in the next couple years.
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12/28/2017 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 92 Points
This is a big wine, no doubt. But the tannic grip has eased up considerably, and it is now ready to drink, although I suspect that this wine has at least another decade to reach peak maturity. Dark plums, chocolate, blackberries, fresh. The oak is there, but more or less integrated. We drank this side by side with a Luke Lambert Yarra Valley Syrah and it was very clear that this had a more classic McLaren or Barossa fruit profile. Liked it quite a bit actually.
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10/3/2017 - Ward Huang Likes this wine: 91 Points
过生日吃个海底捞，感觉醒酒以后也没啥特别惊喜的，不是那种浓郁甜美的西拉，难道是我买亏了？
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9/3/2017 - Ianthemac Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still quite backward with fairly grippy tannins. Needs a bit longer in the decanter than the hour I gave it. Liked it, but didn't love it. Plenty of fruit which should, hopefully, come to the fore. I think it will soften and improve. Will keep the other bottles for 3-4 more years at least.
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7/16/2017 - nic.fcn wrote: 86 Points
Very sharp. Very disappointed by this bottle. It will need many years to soften I think.
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7/15/2017 - tastark Likes this wine:
Drinking pretty well. Very modern in style. Noticeable oak, but not overwrought. Serious black fruits. Very nice tannin profile. Long finish. Great with strip steaks.
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5/23/2017 - Fritts Likes this wine: 90 Points
Screw cap. Night 1 had moderate fruit with fine grain tannins as others noted. However, marred by bitter finish. Night 2 (gassed and cellared 57 degrees f) about same, gassed and recapped. Day 8 reopened and bitterness is gone, fruit only slightly subdued, only slightest hint of oxidation. Still a big modern oaky wine. Possibly worst bottle of DA one experienced, but others have usually hit out of their weight class. Also first screw cap. Any connection?
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4/9/2017 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
Opened and resealed 24 hours before tasting, big, rich black and blue fruit, hints of mocha and vanilla oak. This bottle appears more backward and unevolved than privious bottles, needs several more years to fully integrate.
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2/11/2017 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
Decated 1 hour and consumed over the next 1 plus hours, paired with pistachio crusted rack of lamb. This bottle seemed more approachable than either of the privious two tasted, perhaps it was the richness of the lamb. In any case this was delisous, bursting with classic dead arm dark concentrated fruit, bit of vanilla, blueberries and raspberries, softer and rounder than most dead arm that I have tasted.
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12/17/2016 - SSGibson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Notes same as last; complex and well integrated. Nice.
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11/26/2016 - SSGibson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright ruby color, with a bit more strawberry on the nose than a typical Aussie Shiraz. Strawberry, blueberry, and smoke on the palate. This is lighter and brighter than most Shiraz (or is it just because I had a bottle of Astralis the night before?); not a bad thing, just different. Fine grain, but still very present tannins should allow it to cellar well for several more years. Well integrated and enjoyable.
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10/29/2016 - SCosgrove wrote: 90 Points
Such a big wine, should have given it a few more years, maybe 5.
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10/8/2016 - crazywineguy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Purple rim still. On the nose, vanillan, oak, subdued berries. In the mouth, thick chewy fruit, strong furry tannin, slight earthy ferrous texture. Clearly an unevolved wine that needs another 6 years to hit its straps. If you drink it now it cries out for rare meat. Right now the tannin outweighs the fruit. Integration awaits. Will always be a muscular wine.
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8/6/2016 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine. Hour decant, nice nose, long finish, good fruit and we'll intergrated tannins. Has a lot of cellar potential left.
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7/4/2016 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Scents of blue and black fruit. Rich but balanced palate pairing the ripe fruit with mocha, charcoal and spice. Smooth, spicy tannins. Should improve with 2-3 more years of bottle age.
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7/3/2016 - redz wrote: 90 Points
1 hr decant not enough, still tight
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5/22/2016 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
Drank at a hog roast, big, rich, concentrated, dark fruit, plenty of tannins and firm acidity. Need some time to integrate but the fruit is present to support the tannins.
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5/11/2016 - ckellermd wrote: 92 Points
This is better than the average rating. Dark, more brooding than the typical Aussie fruit bomb. Simple though, without much complexity and not as long as I would like. Very tasty.
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5/3/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened at a Brazilian steakhouse in San Antonio. Smooth berries and tannin, faint spices, perfect with beef.
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5/1/2016 - Pebben wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Opaque purple colour. Not much to say really – a good quality muscle wine. Black fruit, dry soil and vanilla on the nose and palate. Rich and sweet, but balanced nicely by a good dollop of acidity. Wish I had a few more for the upcoming barbecue season.
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4/25/2016 - Ratpack wrote: flawed
Corked!
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3/19/2016 - Omadobs Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Tasted over two nights. This isn't a bad wine, but it's surprisingly thin. I agree with other reviewers who applauded the nose, but pegged the body as somewhat acidic, with tart cherries dominating the flavor profile. Reminds me of a CdR in a cool year or when Michael Mondavi was seeking "balanced" wines and picking the fruit too soon (WHY?!?!??). It might be time for me to bury the Dead given that the hedonistic pleasure isn't nearly up to snuff with vintages from 10+ years ago...or their sub-$20 bottles. Succinctly put, this is a disappointingly poor QPR.
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12/7/2015 - jmcmchi wrote:
Worked well after glugging into a jug and venturi - surprisingly approachable given my previous experience
Screwcap is proving a very good way of maintaining freshness and fruit over the tannins
Bargain at Costco price
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10/25/2015 - jrundlet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Day 1 was sour and borderline undrinkable after 1.5hr decant. From previous user notes we left to sit until day 3 and it was a completely different wine.
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10/21/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
On day two. Needs to be decanted. Or had on day two or three. It has a shoegazing phase I am being told. And still tight and powerful.
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9/14/2015 - rloyot wrote:
Way too soon - right and tannic - 5 more years
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9/11/2015 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and brought to room temperature approx one hour. I really liked this bottle, great complex nose of currants, plums, cedar and coffee, balanced palate of dark currants, cassis, blackberry, hints of licorice, drying tannins, suggesting extended bottle age would be beneficial, but maybe only 3 to 5 years. This is not as jammy and certainly not as sweet as many Aussie shiraz's, plenty of fruit to hold up against the tannins. Very good!
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8/5/2015 - ladyblues_ wrote: 95 Points
The aroma is dark and abundant, rich dark plums, ripe mulberries bursting with juice. It’s a big wine.
What would I have it with? Probably just a big glass, and have it all by itself.
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7/29/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Big red fruit and green notes.
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6/26/2015 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
Puissant et noir.
Fruit noir à outrance avec de la fumée.
Pas mauvais, belle matière et fruit de bon goût mais hyper concentré.
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6/7/2015 - azzah Likes this wine: 94 Points
Thought this was really brilliant. Will last for a long, long time. The fruit is all wound up at the moment and only started to unfurl after a few hours in the decanter. Latent energy. Tight. Violets, blackberry, graphite minerals, black cherry, smoke, mocha oak. Piercing length and powerful intensity. The most impressive Dead Arm I've ever tried.
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5/26/2015 - cono_sur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Highly aromatic savoury nose with meaty and barnyard aromas leading the way, with underlying black fruits. Big and full-bodied on the palate, it has black fruit, chocolate and cocoa flavours. It's well-balanced with fine acids and silky, velvety tannins. Excellent length on the finish. Drink over the next 8-10 years.
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5/13/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
'15 is one of the best acid years
Spicy and earth on the nose, very tight and hard on the palate, very young.
Wow, that thing is tight.
This was the vintage where the fruit character was ripe at very sugar levels so they didn't need to hang there any longer. So this is 14% which is quite low and you definately feel that on the palate.
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5/12/2015 - Wineguy76 wrote: 91 Points
The 2010 flagship Dead Arm Shiraz is yet again another brilliant effort by Chester Osborn. It offers a deep ruby core and vibrant aromas of blueberries, black currant, led pencil shavings and menthol. Full bodied and loaded with lush tannins it pleases the palate with classic Dead Arm unctuosity unleashing full-on flavours of white chocolate, caramel, burnt tar and a rich creme de cassis coating. The finish is pleasantly long and silky. An outstanding wine that needs another couple of years of cellaring before reaching its full potential. It should then provide pleasure in the glass for a decade.
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5/1/2015 - frebra Likes this wine: 92 Points
a good and affordable shiraz.
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3/17/2015 - RayOB wrote: 90 Points
Drank in London
Still very young, powerful primary nose with lots of dark fruit. Rich smooth palate. Nice but I expected a bit more. Need to give it more time.
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2/28/2015 - jmcmchi wrote:
Opened for some time before drinking
Dark fruit and mineral nose
Dusty tannins leading into mineral and fruit layers - on finish tannins come through smoothly
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2/7/2015 - roglinwine wrote: 91 Points
Deep licorice flavor, a nice fruit with tannin structure that has spice notes to it. Black pepper, coffee, a little bit of astringent/menthol along with black currant and cassis. The wine was solid and tasted better than the one I had in late 2013. Aging definitely helped it.
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1/31/2015 - jmcmchi wrote: 90 Points
Very closed, as earlier commentators said a minimum of 3 hours decanting needed. Cool climate, working well on finish, but struggling to compete with (admittedly more expensive) Washington syrahs. Varietal characteristics only really noticeable after 90 minutes
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12/6/2014 - mikewiberg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not the same explosion of flavors as other Dead arm shiraz.
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11/28/2014 - AV2012 wrote: 88 Points
Quite intense and alcoholic. Big nose and presence, seems like it had some US oak treatment. Fruit forward, but not exactly a fruit bomb.
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11/7/2014 - karl.1480 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Clear, medium ruby color.
Clean nose with medium+ aroma intensity. Aromas of black currant, cherries, dark plums, grass, black pepper, fresh herbs, cedar and coffee. Very "cool-climate nose". The nose is youthful.
Dry on the palate with medium acidity, medium+ tannins and body. The flavor intensity is medium and it has flavors of black currant, cherries, dark plums, grass, coffee and fresh herbs. The finish is medium+.
This wine was rather tight from the beginning but opened up after 3 hours in the decanter. At first I thought this was some kind of Bdx-blend with high percentage of Cab Franc but then the Shiraz-aromas started to show and the wine was just stunning. Very young today and needs some serious amount of air to get itself together. I'd rather cellar it for at least 5 years but it will last for a long time.
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10/18/2013 - graemeg wrote:
"2014" Sydney International Wine Show - stewarding notes; 10/13/2013-10/18/2013 (Blue Mountains, NSW): {screwcap, 14.2%} What’s this? A d’Arenberg red at less than 14.5%? The times they are a-changin’. Peppery, cherry-like nose. The palate is oddly light; medium/high acidity, a distinctly savoury texture, it’s medium-bodied with quite discreet oak. Spicy, almost cool-climate flavours. Pepper. Doesn’t finish warmly either (medium-length). Well, interesting – I don’t quite know what to make of this, except to say it’s very young. Give it a few years I suppose; it seems to be balanced enough for that.
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