Mature, leather, liquorice, pencil, has a “dry dusty road” feel to it, almost Bordeaux-ish, but more power. Drinks very well now, but will hold up another 3-5 years I would have thought
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Blackberries, blueberries, mocha, pencil shavings. Still fresh and sweet-fruited after 20 years under screw cap. Very well balanced for a big, ripe McLaren Vale. Good length and structure. Quality stuff. Improved over the evening - would suggest a decent decant. No rush to drink these. (93 Excellent wine)
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From screw cap, even better than my last bottle tasted in 2021. Had the 2014 and 2004 side by side and the 2004 towered over the 2014. Much ripper, richer, thicker wine. Notes of vanilla, tar blackberries, mocha dominate this fruit bomb. Ready drink but no rush as this monster can hold another 10 to 15 years easy.
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(magnum bottle) Wow, dark inky, black florals, lifted sweet leather, black fruit, juicy late cherry, woodspice, clove. Unctious and fully mature, soft silky tannins. With an hour, it opened really nicely, textural, silky, and gossamer. Airy, yet precise and powerful, elegant and balanced. No flagging despite the age - still powerful, even youthful. Looong finish, eucalypt, graphite, cigar box. Paired nicely with 3-cup chicken and porkbelly fried rice. Delight!
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Mint, caramel , licqorice , black berries. This one was perfect timing. Previous bottles from the same vintage have felt a little over the top, but this one was just perfectly ripe. I guess one should drink rather than keep though.
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Fresh and bright, all the excesses have been resolved What’s left is a beautiful , balanced wine. Raspberries, currants , licorice. At 18, this wine is remarkable, with a long finish. Opened well for 30 minutes after decanting, but it then faded about 90 minutes later.
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Super concentrated liquorice and spice, black fruit still evident but perhaps starting to fade relative to my earlier bottles. Lovely now, no rush, but perhaps drink over the next couple of years before a gentle decline?
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Almost Bordeaux notes with pencil, chocolate , black berries etc. Would not have taken it for an Aussie Shiraz on the nose. However on the palate it was clear that this was not an old world wine. Excellent! Drink now, but will last another few years
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Kleur: Diep ondoordrinkbaar donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Stoer, krachtig en uitgesproken bouquet, kenmerkend voor een belegen Syrah uit de nieuwe wereld. Ook na 17 jaar nog explosief, vol donker fruit en zoetige kruiden. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad. Een 'bek vol wijn'. Krachtig, geconcentreerd en met een mooie balans. Nog geen spoor van serieus tertiaire aroma's. Algemeen / potentieel: Briljante Shiraz die nog zeker 2-3 jaar toekomst voor zich heeft. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Colour: Deep, undrinkable dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Tough, powerful and pronounced bouquet, characteristic of a mature Syrah from the new world. Even after 17 years still explosive, full of dark fruit and sweet spices. Taste / Aftertaste: Soft acidity. A 'mouth full of wine'. Powerful, concentrated and with a nice balance. No trace of serious tertiary aromas yet. Overall / potential: Brilliant Shiraz with at least 2-3 years of future ahead of him. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 13 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / Potential: 9 = 94/100
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Last bottle of four, this has reached a great place defying the hot, sweet, high alc nature of Shiraz of that period. Cranberry, smoke, ash, still ample but well integrated acidity and tannins.
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Red Bertils, Chaplin, pencil. Surprisingly Bordeaux like on the nose, but the palate is fresh, minty and almost sweet like you would expect. Hold up really well. Drinks well now and probably at peak another 5 years or so.
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This wine is hitting its stride. Decanted for 30 minutes. This is a well-integrated, beautiful shiraz without the heat and over-alcoholic tone of so many "modern" Australian Shiraz'. Nice black fruits with leather and tobacco. Camphor, cedar and moist earth.
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Hasn’t really changed much since my last note. Powerful Shiraz, traditional, rich and deep. Dark black fruits and aniseed, oak is obvious but done well enough and doesn’t quite overpower the opulent fruit. It is a ballsy Shiraz that certainly does not drink like it’s 17 years of age. Structurally it is all there, true to style and pairs well with a nice steak or rich ragu.
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Blind, deep bluish purple seems like a wine bottled yesterday. Dominant notes of blueberries and dark fruits. Very rich and concentrated with a finish lasting over a minute. It needs at least another 5 years to soften. It should be enjoyable for 15 years there after.
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Depuis 14 ans en cave. 1ère de 3. Ouvert pour accompagner de l'agneau+riz style indien. Superbe nez de sous-bois, champignons sauvage, fruit++. En bouche les couches de fruits se superposent, belle densité, un boisé présent mais s'harmonise bien avec l'ensemble.. Tannins très souple, mais encore de la marge pour se fondre davantage dans les prochaines années. Acidité ok, finale demeure sur le fruit. Aucune présence d'alcool.
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Pulled from cellar, let stand for 48 hours before opening. Dark purple hue. Spicy dark berries, well balanced, well integrated tannins. In drinking window now but with sufficient stuffing to last many more years. Very good!
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Still powering along, dark plummy black fruits, rich oak and liquorice flavours, dried herbs as well. Still opulent, primary even to a degree with ripe youthful fruit and palate weight. Length and finish show concentration and intensity. The screwcap is no doubt helping the ageing here and it should kee going for some time yet. Not in a mould that is my favourite style but still a well made Australian shiraz.
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Decanted at 5pm and tasted over several hours. Dark garnet purple. The age has tamed this wine nicely. It is rich and chewy but not over the top in terms of fruit or any other element. The nose is definitely black fruited along with menthol, sweet spices, chocolate and earthy tobacco/cedar. Palate has decent acidity and rich black berry, plum, currant flavors followed by the earthy layers that end it a fairly long finish. Really delightful; and with plenty of life left.
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Tastes a bit like an aged Bordeaux. Balanced and well-structured. Dark ruby color. Blackberry notes are dominant on the nose and palate. Medium-full bodied with nice finish. Expected more and would not hold much longer - - suspect it is somewhat past prime.
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I just love this wine! Proof that these wines age rather well. A delicate jamminess, with hints of eucalyptus and blueberries, a touch of earthiness, and quite alive and well and thriving at this point!
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Very glad to have a much more. These are incredibly good wines that improve with age. Just coming into its own... and may continue to evolve and improve over the next 5 years!
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2hr decant. Decent nose of tinder and pencil and pronounced aged menthol. Lively dark fruit taste. Pepper. Tannins still a bit strong even 16yrs on but I feel this is at peak, if not a bit beyond, drinking time. So reminiscent of those heady Aussie Shiraz days of the early 2000s. Drink up.
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Kleur: Diep ondoordringbaar donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Krachtig en opvallend vitaal bouquet. Een geur-explosie van nieuwe-wereldse Shiraz-power. Donker fruit, zwarte bessen en bramen, zoete kruidigheid, aubergine, zoethout en menthol. Smaak / Afdronk: Mondvullende, verleidelijke nieuwe-wereldse krachtpatser. Een ongelofelijke kracht en concentratie, mondvullend en dik-sappig, zachte zuurgraad. Zachte tannines die een bijna zoetige indruk achterlaten. Lange afdronk. Geen spoor van tertiaire aroma's overigens. Boterzachte power in een prachtige balans, . Algemeen / potentieel: Verleidelijke, mondvullende Aussie-Shiraz van zeldzame klasse! 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deeply impenetrable dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Powerful and strikingly vital bouquet. A scent explosion of new-worldly Shiraz power. Dark fruit, black currants and blackberries, sweet spiciness, eggplant, licorice and menthol. Taste / Aftertaste: Mouth-filling, seductive new-world powerhouse. An incredible power and concentration, mouth-filling and thick-juicy, mild acidity. Soft tannins that leave an almost sweet impression. Long finish. No trace of tertiary aromas by the way. Butter-soft power in a beautiful balance. General / potential: Seductive, mouth-filling Aussie-Shiraz of rare class! 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 95/100
Beautiful wine. Black fruit and spicy, complexity cloaks the ripeness on the sweet finish. Good enough to make you fall in love with Ozzy Shiraz again. Such fun.
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I enjoyed this wine very much. As expected the residue on the cork was black. There was a touch of bottle stink immediately after opening but it blew off quickly. It shows the pedigree of the 2004 vintage. Lots of blackberry, dark fruit and pepper is still playing out and the tannins are fully evolved. There is a touch of sweetness to the fruit that is indicative of 15 years in the bottle. Some subtle spice plays out with the richness of the fruit. I suggest it is time to drink this vintage of the Dead Arm should you have any stored away.
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Opened to breathe and enjoyed over 2h. This was a mature and not overly fruity shiraz, some oak, faint tannins, and alcohol notes. I really appreciated that it was not a fruit bomb, the restraint here is nice. Great on burger night!
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Decent/solid. Nice well-aged Aussie Shiraz with nice fruit and herbaceous notes. A pronounced raisin-y flavor that wouldn't go away and colored my perception of this bottle and many Aussie Shiraz's older than 10 years old.
Anyone try one of these at a younger age? Still raisin'y? I've begun to sour on the Aussie Shiraz in favor or Washington Syrah's.
Would appreciate any perspective or recommendations
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Dark, Rich, and peaking. The cork was black and opulent in its nose. This is better than the much heralded 2001. My bottle poured thick, succulent wine that exuded fruit, oak and softened tannins. I’m finishing it as we speak. A good night it is.
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Unlike my last note the wine shows great fruit definition. Blackcurrant, plum, mint and cloves - gives a really nice savoury note to this wine. The tannins are silky and nicely integrated. The only negative is the acidity which is a little sharp. The wine will continue to develop - hopefully in the right direction. I have faith (and only a few more bottles) so will look forward to the next one.
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Still feels in the primary stage of life. Some great Shiraz fruit here, a good dollop of toasty oak as well but this feels like it has years to go even at 13 years of age. Needs a long decant to open up but rewards with plummy fruit, olives and some dried herbs. Tannins are a treat as well, fine yet grippy. The acid and alcohol perhaps a little noticeable on the finish.
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Yikes. First few sips were promising. Seemed like a balanced wine. After 15 minutes or so of air, however, this revealed itself as anything but. Overly sweet. Almost like a processed cherry hard candy, but with alcohol. I'd say cherry cough syrup, but it's not that bad. It won't make you pucker, but, seriously, it tastes like you're drinking alcoholic Twizzlers. I fear that, with time, it actually will only get worse. Bummer.
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Très bon vin dans un style opulent, mais avec une bonne acidité (qui semble ajoutée) et une bonne structure tannique. L'alcool est assez élevé mais relativement bien intégrer. L'élevage me semble trop appuyé cependant, avec des notes de caramel brûlé et de torréfaction. 91+
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Dark, opaque black in glass, with slight haze. Powerful aromas of burnt orange peel, tar, liquid smoke & glycerin. High, dry tannins. Powerful flavors of menthol, roasted orange peel, bramble, mulberry, blackberry and unripe blueberry. Second '04 I've consumed. Double decant, started opening up after 3 hours. Still too young!
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We drank two nice wines on Christmas Day The Dead Arm was very Dry, very good color and clarity. It is like licking a piece of oak tree. I really enjoyed it. The Caymus was equally as good, more complex in flavor profile. great to drink now!
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Tasted as part of a 10 year Dead Arm vertical - '99 - '09. '04 was when Dead Arm switched from cork to screw cap and the impact is apparent. The wine is livelier, more fresh red and black fruit and floral. Acidity was high. This was a stand-out vintage in the vertical.
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The Dead Arm does not disappoint, and this one is firmly in the middle of its optimal drinking window at 12 years of age. The color is medium (+) to deep ruby and the legs are thick and glass-staining. The nose is clean, medium (+) in intensity, with red and black fruits, leather and peppery spices. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, medium to medium (+) tannins and medium (+) alcohol at 14.5%. This wine undergoes a lot of development in the glass and should probably be decanted for maximum enjoyment. It gets rounder, bigger and fuller as it has a chance to breathe. Overall, this is a remarkably well-balanced, full-bodied, intense wine. Great with a spicy rub grilled ribeye and sharp cheeses. Drink now through 2020.
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Decanted about 4 hours. Paired with homemade Pot Roast (Barefoot Contessa recipe). Aroma: Very berry! Boysenberry, Blueberry, Raspberry. Subdued alcohol. Color: Deep red/purple garnet, dense, inky, opaque. Flavor: Mildly tannic up front, fades fast, leaves slickness on tongue, chalky, those sensations up front, but quickly followed by the boysenberry from the aroma. Silky, smooth, easy drinking, warming on the tongue. Tannic backbone balanced by fruitiness & silkiness. Delicious. Overall: First glass paired excellent with pot roast dinner, second glass was a great, relaxing sipper! Enjoyed very much!
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Interesting wine. Usually Dead Arm is concentrated and rich. This bottle was less so. The fruit did not come through, and the bottle remained tight even though it was decanted for at least 2 hours before drinking. It was still nice but not as outstanding as this wine normally is. I assume this was bottle variation. Will have to see how the next bottle goes.
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Outstanding bottle of wine, and so sad that it was my last 2004. So much depth and pure pleasure – was really singing. Remarkably reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux. All I have left is a couple of 2006s, and they just don't even compare.
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Awesome. It's delicately juicy and savoury. On the nose, medium plus intensity, lightly baked blackberries, blueberries, red cherries, white and green pepper, black olive, dried garden herbs, subtle leather. The nose uncoils very elegantly. On the palate, good match to nose, fruits are rich and juicy but also delicate and elegant. Tannins are medium plus, medium acidity. Finish ends in a lovely long crescendo.
Paired well with rare Elk and sweet breads.
Drank at Opus in Toronto, best wine list in Toronto!
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A very powerful and acidic wine. Needs more than an hour in the decanter and should be served slightly chilled. Jammy but not syrupy plums, blackberries, pepper and cassis coat the palate with some hints of mint leaves and spice. A style that i have grown out off and while overpowering and excessive, I can certainly see the appeal. 91+ pts
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18th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Lyon Down Inn): Another open nose in this flight, but now with ripe black fruit and oak. A little tighter on the palate with more obvious acidity, some spice and pepper notes. 90 on day 2.
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Superb example of pure Australian Shiraz at its best. Pungently characteristic on the nose with a medley of red and black fruits, leather and peppery spices. Deep ruby red in the glass showing medium-long legs. In the mouth this seems to be well proportioned and has a structure which is integrating beautifully sine the last bottle I tried. Firm tannins but by no means austere, combining well with its generous fruit and well balanced acidity. One of the best Aussie Shirazes I've had for a long time. Drinking well now but will get even better in the next few years I think.
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Compared to the 2006 which I drank a year ago, the 2004 was a lot more flavourful, densely packed with dark fruits, cherries, blackberries, cassis, and beautifully layered, with off-dry chewy sweetness on the palate. A full-bodied Shiraz with well-integrated vanilla oak and spices, and a long finish. Not disappointing at all! Glad to have re-visited this again!
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Theme: Interesting (Pine Close): Tasted blind. Poured into decanter and aired for 3 hours while kept chilled. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, dark purplish-ruby colour. Long legs. Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of sweet vanilla oak, blackberries, ripe dark plums, black cherries, sweet earth, black pepper spice. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol, very smooth mouth-coating high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of sweet vanilla oak, blackberries, ripe dark plums, black cherries, sweet earth, black pepper spice, and licorice. Long finish. Full throttle intensity overall, but still manages to find a nice balance. Undoubtedly an Aussie Shiraz, I was guessing probably McLaren Vale. Very good quality Shiraz. This banishes all my previous bad experiences with The Dead Arm. This kind of reminded me a bit of the Torbreck RunRig. Drink now with extended decant, or give it another 5-8 years of aging.
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The last wine of the night and aptly so. Powerful intense wine. I first tasted this when it was first released in 2006/2007 at the cellar door in Mclaren vale itself as a poor student. I am so glad i revisited this wine again last night.
Decanted for 2-3 hrs before serving. Totally opaque black purple colour with a purple hue and excellent cling. The nose is brooding and alluring. Earthy notes combined with dark fruits like blackberry, plum with a tinge of vanilla oak and oriental spice. The palate is voluptous with mouth filling flavours of dark fruits which then leads to explosion of spicyness which is nice but not overpowering. Lovely, fined grained, textural tannins that seem to linger on forever on the tongue.
This is definitely a wine to bring to impress if the theme of the night is shiraz or full bodied wines.
Last tasted 17 months ago. It has not changed much. Deep dark garnet; opaque. Aromas and flavors of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, tar, black pepper, spices, cigar box from the oak. The blueberry is the prominent berry aroma. Also, I got some tobacco this time. Big, rich and intense fruit. Viscous and almost chewy in the mouth. Very nicely balanced; good acid. I did not get much of a tannic bite on the tongue, like last time. A long lingering finish of about 30 seconds. Score 93+.
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Intense deep ruby color. Lots of black fruit, with hints of chocolate, black pepper, worn leather and some pencil shavings - lot of different layers and some matured bordeaux-vibes. Full bodied on the palate with plums and black cherries, fresh and moderate acidity and smooth tannins. This is defenetly at the peak with such vibrant and generous finish.
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Dark inky black purple color, full bodied, thick, tongue-coating unctuous layer of ripe plum, black raspberry, ripe blueberry and a layer of anise and black cherry with a spicy long firm tannin lingering finish.
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Quite Syrah like with earthy and dusty notes with underlying blueberry/sweeter fruit that tells you exactly where this is from. Nose was really nice (could have less of the blueberry notes however) but the palate was boarding on being OTT, but held back enough for my tastes. Overall a nice Aussie Syrah that many people would really enjoy. Very good.
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Well, it took a long time to tame the beasties in this wine, but it has finally happened. Still a dense, purple wine, everything seems to have come together and the flavors are highly palatable. The wine is finally falling into balance. Blue fruits still dominate but there is some smoke and a hint of fire as well. This is good wine and I'm glad I waited for it.
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Dead Arm Vertical dinner (Ola Cocina Del Mar, Marina Bay Financial Centre): Very dark core but showing a developed nose of barnyard and mushroom. There seems to be some bret character found in this bottle, with some black fruits hide underneath. Soft and subtle notes of barnyard follow by black berries. Soft chewy tannins with medium finish. This looks like an off bottle to me but still some other tasters liked this wine.
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Not a bad wine, but nothing special. Severely overrated by the critics. The sad thing is that I remember the 1998. That was a special wine which deserved the scores. It was a wine that got me into Aussi wines. This wine had good fruit, some leather, and is well made. It was just nothing special with little complexity
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After 10 years in the bottle, this hasn't really changed that much. Sweet saddle leather and black and blue berries on the nose with replays on the palate. It is smoother and the alcohol blends in much more without it being so singular and pronounced on the palate but it still tastes like it did 10 years. Medium long finish.
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Wow, this was good. Deep color purple, no signs of age. black fruits, tobacco, tar , spice all rolled up into one. Full bodied and big structure. This has a way to go and I am glad I have a few more bottles to see how this evolves over time.
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Becoming less and less my style of wine. There was something quite nice here, and Goolia liked it a bunch. I found it monolithic and lacking interest. Blueberry and smoke.
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Seriously good Shiraz. Blueberry, earthy notes, licorice, huge concentration, very long finish. Fine strong tannin, plenty of years ahead. Very very good.
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Splendid, if only all wines at this price level were so good. beautifully perfumed nose and lovely mouthfeel that suggests its good for a few years yet, but why wait when its so charming now. Best vintage for me next to 2001
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This is one "sweet" wine. Opened for one hour and drank over 2 hours. Just kept getting better. Great now but may be even better. If you can find it buy it!
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Drinking beautifully tonight with about 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the decanter. As is usual for Dead Arm, the rich, bold dark fruit is unapologetically big and forward with underpinnings of loamy earth, leather, tobacco and cedar. The finish is rather long and satisfying. The tannins are still chalky and abit aggressive, but not really obtrusive. All in all, quite delightful in a palate coating, teeth staining sort of way.
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My first bottle. I expected a Aussie Shiraz ala Mollydooker, but this was different. Very structured, with a powerful tannin and acid backbone, more like a Hermitage then an AS. Plenty of dark fruit, with blackberries and plum, driven by a tannins, tar, pepper and some smoke. Long finish that brought everything together. Felt very young with a long life ahead. Will wait for a few years for the next bottle.
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Nothing the matter with this wine but it was just a bit muted. The nose is nicely open with blueberry, oak and ketone notes. Flavors of blueberry, oak and still ample tannins and acids. Good, not a great QPR.
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This has come a ways since our last bottle 5 years ago, much more developed but still with many years left, amazing - Black, full bodied with a nose of blue, blackfruit, meat, pepper, spice, mocha and vanilla, amazing structure, with backbone for at least 20 more years, balanced, velvety smooth on the palate with terrific length, stunning! (95 Points).
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If you appreciate AS wine the is a winner. Opened,decanted and drank over two hours. Best with grilled Porterhouse. You can read other tasting notes..no doubt this wine is Outstanding.
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tannic when opened but a little glass decanting did the trick( swirl and sip) drank from mag along with Tensley OGT .fun to drink the same grape from two differnt worlds. Both delicious in different ways.
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PnP (drunk over 3 nights with little change). Deep violet. Dark cherry fruit with reduced tar and raison-prune notes. Thick and penetrating palate with a redeeming hint of acidity. Soft tannins. Not complex nor finesseful. A bit clumsy. Paired well with fabada beans and morcilla.
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Decanted 60 minutes. Very rich garnet in the glass. An aromatic wine that filled the room with red fruits, meatiness and some mineral undertones. Cery full mouth - red fruits, dried herbs and minerals. Concentrated but not at all cloying or overpowering. Much improved over our last bottle.
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This is going to seem strange but immediately on the nose I get charred steak and crispy fries with fruit all over the edges, weird huh? It does have oak also. The palate is supple, rounded, and smooth. Decanted for 2 hours. Tastes of black and especially blue fruit, yum, hinted with, another weird one, but rubber band, I know weird, but still there. It's heavy in black and deep blue jammy fruit, and still wonderful! Thanks Mike!!
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Still purple on the rim. Deep, dark garnet color; dense and almost opaque. I get blackberry, some raspberry and blueberry, tar, black pepper, spices, some cigar box, earthiness - complex. Big, rich and elegant in the mouth. Overall the the tannins are there, but subdued. However, there is a slight tannic bite on the tip of the tongue. Also, very slight alcohol on the back palate. A long and lingering and pleasant finish (maybe 25+ seconds). The wine gets better throughout the evening. It pairs nicely with prime N.Y. steak, but more appreciable by itself. Pretty good for a screw cap!
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Much lighter than the massive beast of a wine that this was 4 years ago. Some light tar notes and black fruit with milky texture. Alocohol is well managed but I don't think has much stuffing for development. Decent enough but lacks real complexity.
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Writing from memory and this was the last botttled tasted at the end of a long dinner party. Decanted for approximately 4 hours and, as usual for Dead Arm, needed that time to open and allow the fruit to shine. This is a massive wine with deep, rich, palate coating and very forward cassis, leather, pipe tobacco, tar and cedar flavors. The tannins on the med length finish are still abit grippy. This is drinking very nicely today but still has a very youthful quality to it. Excellent as always.
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Wine Spectator Offline, San Diego (Mimmo's, Little Italy): Inky, dark, vibrant purple-garnet. Gorgeous, flamboyant bouquet of blackberries, boysenberries, black pepper, exotic spices, incense, barbeque. Just bursting with aroma and flavor. Rich, full-bodied, seamless, long finish. Fresh and pure with no sense of jamminess or sur-maturite. My #1 and group's SECOND PLACE overall.
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From a 375ml bottle.Aired for about ½ hour.Good nose showing red and dark fruit.Very primary on the palate,delivering a smooth and vibrant mix of red and dark fruit with good acidity,nice tannic grip and a fairly long finish.Improved with more airtime.Drinking nicely now but perhaps the big fruit needs a couple of years to settle down and make this wine really sing.
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WIll probably not age as well as the 2002, as this has entered a stage when its losing fruit and the heat remains. Still very good, but despite its big, jammy qualities, I think we're looking at two to three years of "peak" drinking.
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If this is not a 95 nothing is. Decanted thru a vinturi 3 times. Drank over two hours. Colour is garnet inky. Nose of perfume and cassis. Tobbaco,spices,vanila and mocha on the palate. The finish was long with hints of raspberry and gooseberry. Tannins and acidity in balance.
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A prototypical Aussie Shiraz. The jamminess of the fruit has been attenuated somewhat with age, and there are some nice savory peppery/bacon notes emerging. It's nice to see that this isn't falling apart after 7 years.
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Bought on release. Decanted for sediment. Deeply colored, bright disc, leggy, watery rim. Warm, red fruit and spice/cloves nose. A touch watery. red plums and pepper, medium finish. Not bad, but not all it might have been.
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Vinturi to decanter, let sit 90 min, back into bottle. Color is deep red loaded with black tones with no sign of bricking, opaque to rim, inky, full body, perhaps two tablespoons of sediment left in bottle. On opening the bouquet was tight and dense with dark currants, cassis, tar, minerals and earth, along with mild inflections of oak. Serving this blind to the wine store owner, he guessed premium cab. If you're drinking this P&P and in under two hours which is the typical scenario, you're missing out, and this may account for some of the less favorable reviewer notes. This really began strutting hours 3-7. Excellent depth of currants and raspberries both black and red, tar, tomato paste, flowery perfume, well done oak and a bit of alcohol coming through at times. Concentrated on the palate with a nervy backbone of acidity that rides all the way through a lengthy dry finish of raspberries, coffee bean and earth. Big tannins, but they are fairly well integrated. Overall a blockbuster old school shiraz showing lots of character through old vines intensity and a strong mix of earth and minerals. Compared to many other premium Oz-shiraz offerings that are uni-dimensional fruit bombs and more costly, this was well worth it at 40 USD. Will drink the next in 5 years.
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Tief purpur, reiche Kirsch- und Beerennoten, schwarzer Pfeffer, Vanille, subtile mineralische Anklänge; trotz langer Belüftung am Anfang alkoholisch-heiß, feine Tannine, straffe Säure; trotz aller Struktur, wie bereits von vielen Vorverkostern beschrieben, kaum Individualität. Dafür im Vergleich zu anderen Aussies ungünstiges PLV...
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This was a let down. A much cheaper Aussie shiraz would have got the job done. The nose is blackberry, raspberry, and peppery vanilla. The taste is a little flabby with no particular special flavors or intriguing fruit showing. It's too one-dimensional to put it in the upper echelon of shiraz. The finish is good, but nothing special. I just expected more from this wine and was let down. Maybe it's not ready, maybe it just isn't that good, or maybe I just got a bad bottle. Either way, I won't buy any more to find out. It's too expensive for what you get.
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Big dark fruits, blueberries, etc and not a whole lot else going on here. Yes, the fruit is wonderful but I'd like more body. Disappointing in retrospect as I've always loved The Dead Arm in previous vintages. This reminded me of other aussie shiraz - high scoring fruit bombs with nothing else to say.
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Very nice wine. Interesting complex fruit with blackberry, plum, spicy chocolate and light mint. Ripe and classy in the mouth with great texture, plentiful acidity and light smooth tannin. Overall, big, not over the top, ready now but will improve, complete with high quality elements. Give it air.
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Remains a benchmark....remains surprisingly similar to when i first tried it....maybe the screw cap? Rich, thick and chewy.....but not as ott as one might imagine
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Plum and dark berries along with some red fruit (I thought cherries, Betsy said Raspberries), dark chocolate, and nice minerality emerging on the finish. Not much in the way of acid or tannins so I'm not sure how much more this will develop. It tasted good and was enjoyable to drink but not really a special wine especially considering its cost.
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still not ready. but it has worked itself out a little more. the heat has dropped but is still there. give it 3 more years and it should be approachable then
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Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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Decanted 1 hr. Bruiser of a wine but not in an over-extracted way (it may have suffered from being served after the more 'delicate' -01 Gaia). Plenty going on and has settled a lot since trying it on release (where it was in penetrable!).
Dead Arm is one of my favourite wines and I think this will be hitting its straps in 2014.
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Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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This 100% Shiraz is aged in French and American oak for 22 months! Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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Markedly better than earlier experiences with this vintage, but it took three hours of decanting time to really enjoy fruit on the finish. Still quite a bit of heat. This is a very well balanced wine with tobacco, spice and dark berries in the bouquet. The finish delivers dark chocolate, blackcurrants and spice. You must give this wine time and pair it with food; otherwise you will be disappointed.
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I've heard and seen reviews of wine described as having a bacon fat smell/taste and I always thought that was nuts. Well I finally smelled and tasted bacon fat in a wine. The nose is spicy, blackberry, vanilla, raspberry and yes bacon fat. The taste is even more apparent, I could actually detect smoked bacon on the pallet along with plum skin, strawberry and pepper. This wine is fairly complex. I thought there was a nice balance of sweetness and tartness to the tannins. Loved it.
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Medium to full bodied with low-med acidity. A little tight and simple compared to the 03. Disappointed. Not sure how much it will improve with age due to the screwcap. I will come back to this in 5 yrs.
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Still a tight and tannic monster at age four, there are hints of the potential evident in the huge boysenberry and blackcurrant flavours, rich allspice notes and long finish. Everything is still unbalanced by the deft, somewhat coarse tannins that are only now beginning to die down but still manage to make their voices heard. This certainly has tons of potential but I'm doubtful of any bottles prior to 2012.
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A marked disappointment, especially when compared to my experience with the 2002 vintage. Bouquet was tight and constrained, and the finish was abrasive - possibly a bad bottle, but enough fruit came through in the finish that I'm inclined to say that this is a generally overrated performance by D'Arenberg.
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Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This fell into the bottom tier in our blind syrah/shiraz tasting of 12 wines. It had a bizarre nose of salt water and armpits. It was not well regarded, though the taste was better than the nose. The palate was simple and watery. Others thought that it was sour and harsh. When the wine was revealed, we were surprised that this fared so poorly, considering how well regarded it is by eRobert Parker. We tasted none of the cassis, pepper or fruit that Jay Miller identified. And none of the wines were popped and poured. Many were double decanted, while others were simply opened several hours ahead of time.
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Decanted for 6 hours. Lovely nose with flavors of chocolate coverd blackberries, blueberries and plums together with some peppery spices. Good depth and bodyweight, a solid tannin backbone and bursts of black fruits including black raspberries dominating the palate. Ending in a long and delicious finish. This baby need at least 4-5 years to reach its peak, but a pleasure to drink right now with a decent decanting time.
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Deep purple filled with loads of black fruits. Good nose, medium to full bodied, with good tannins. Lush fruits on the palate and a little spicy finish.
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Very tasty! Deep purple in colour I found more savoury aromas. The palate is packed full of fruit, well integrated oak, as well as a hint of spice. Drinking nicely, but I'm going to leave my last 3 bottles for a few more years.
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Another lovely bottle - deep purple in colour with great savoury aromas. The palate is packed full of fruit, well integrated oak, as well as a hint of spice. Drinking nicely, but could probably be cellared for another 10 years!
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Deep purple with ruby red edges, this wine showed savoury, earth characters such as roasted capsicum and tobacco on the nose. The palate was deep and full - jammy fruit, white pepper, cigar box characters. Aging well. Very nice.
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Three hour decant. Dark, inky color. Aroma shows ripe plum with chocolate. Rich and young with youthful tingle from tannin. Concentrated but needs time for palate to develop. Give it two or three years. Good at the table.
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Drunk with lamb rack. Very young, but excellent -- lots of black fruits. Some chocolate, moderate tannin. Good structure. Should mature relatively rapidly. Mouth & nose are long and wine developed well in the glass over the meal.
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CSCA: Black purple; nose of licorice, tar, black fruits; mouth is teeth staining, very concentrated, huge flavors of black fruits, tar, sweet black stuff, blackberry conentrate; tons of great a’s in there w/some wood complement. Good fin. Too big, though.
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Much too young to really evaluate this. Inky purple and firm tannins that seemed a little overwhelming on the finish. Blueberries and some dark fruits. I'm not sure how this will age and am giving the critics the benefit of the doubt that this will develop into something more enjoyable down the line. 90 at this point.
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Binny's Shiraz Tasting (St. Charles, Illinois): This was an inky purple color. Full bodied with notes of crushed grape skins and dark chocolate. Ripe tannins. I thought this was more approachable now than the 1998, 1999 or the 2001 at the same age. On par with the 2001 but slightly behind the 1998 or 1999 quality wise in my opinion. 92 points.
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Still to young to tell, strong blackberry but closed with a hot finish, tannins still big. Needs a few years. I had originally been dissapointed when I purchased these a year ago that D'Arenberg went with a screw top on such a well crafted wine that was designed with bottle aging in mind. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2005 Dead Arm at Hi-time on the shelf with a cork. Had to do a mini blind virticle of 2004 and 2005 having loved 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The 2005 was not as hot and actually seemed closer to maturity. I don't plan on drinking either for at least 2 years probably 3, both should be outstanding, time will tell.
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Montreal Monster Wine Tasting @ Chez Christophe; 10/26/2007-10/27/2007: Strong nose of eucalyptus, camphor and mint with a definite blackberry jam component. More blackberry oozing on the well structured palate but hits you with a wall of tannins on the finish. Improved over the night but obviously way too closed now. Decanted 1 hour, needed more like 5 hours.
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Drank at Oso with Ray. Decanted for an hour, drank over 3 hours.
What a beautiful wine. Incredibly fruity, with all sorts of things going on with the nose - plum, cassis, vanilla, smoke, chocolate. Beautifully approachable already, with lots of plummy fruits on the palate and just that hint of strawberry, just that slight bit one dimensional on the attack, but it is so yummy! Sweet, but not cloyingly so, wonderfully balanced at such a young age, and quite ready to drink with a lengthy decant. Long, long finish with a flourish of smoke at the end.
My only worry? This lacks a bit of the structure of other Dead Arms I have tried. May score really well now, but I am not sure how it will perform 5-10 years down the road.
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Drunk over 3 nights; Deep purple; Strong black fruit and pepper, a touch of prune. A bit bretty on the first night but much less so later (not sure how that's possible though, hmmm.....). Good acidity. Full-on style and still tannic for a while yet. Hot and a bit rough on the finish. A bit too much for me at this stage but plenty of potential.
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Consumed as part of a high-end tasting where it was tasted blind. There were some comments that the wines were served a bit too warm, but not overly so. Dark purple in color with no bricking. Nose was very tight, (have no idea on decanting time for this) but showed some baking cherry, a bit of oak and some heat. Baking cherry came through on the palate. Very tannic wine, with high acidity producing a long finish of cherry. My lowest rated wine of the night. Probably drank too young.
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Violets, sweet caramel, vanilla, wet brick. Fruit does not show through. Astringent finish. Wanted to like this wine, but found it lacking as a syrah (shiraz). Not a special, but rather pedestrian wine.
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Drank at my brothers - Massive concentration, dark purple, extreme fruit and oak on the nose with noticeable tannic structure, very smooth with excellent length, can't beliieve we drank this without extreme beef! (91 Points).
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I can't improve on the comments made by recent reviewers. We're obviously drinking the same wine. I will be interested to see how it ages, and I'll lay off for several years, at least!
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Dark brooding nose of plums, wild blackberry(the slightly unripe kind) with licorice, smoke and dark chocolate replays> The palate was dense, very extracted wine with a nice acidity of more blackberry flavours and a tannic bite that coat your mouth for over 30seconds. This will get so much better 93+ for now.
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What a wine! Very good concentration, amazing nose with licorice, graphite, blackberries and dark plums. Palate is spicy sour and smooth with slight saltyness. It finishes very long with nice warmth of the stomach. For me, this is slightly one dimentional in your face wine but very drinkable one with plenty of power and structure!
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Popped and poured. The color was dark purple…I mean real dark like ink. The nose was as expected very tight but came across as dark cherry. The mid-pallet had a lot going on some of which I have to say I could not identify. But I got Cherries, dark berry, and bitterness from the tannins. As it opened up I detected less bitterness and more big fruit.The finish was mouth coating and gripped the back of my cheeks and would not let go. The taste had some cherry cough syrup aspects to it…but in a good way. Alcohol was high. I could tell over the 1-2 hour I drank the wine that there were some interesting more old world like secondary flavors that were faint. I can only assume that this would enhance with age. To me I like both Old and New World style. I think they have a time and place. Personally this wine I would not drink before or with food. It was very enjoyable but gave me some degree of palate fatigue.
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Tasted at a retail wine tasting. Notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, tar, and pepper. Comes across as a very serious and brooding drink. The tannins grip you like rigor mortis. While clearly well made, I think it needs some time to come together more fully and to relax a bit. The densest and most structured of the three shirazes I had that day. 91-92 points.
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Amazing Aussie Tasting- 38 Wines (Binny's, Schaumburg, IL (NW Suburbs - Chicago)): Incredible wine. Great nose of raspberry, blackberry, spice, pepper, vanilla, violet and cocoa. Huge, mouthfilling tannins with balance and finesse, along with amazing depth and complexity. Layer upon layer of flavors in the mouth with a tremendous 40+ second finish. Big, big wine that will only get better for 10 or more years. At $54, this is an incredible value when compared to 95 point Napa Cabs.
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Opened on my birthday and decanted vigorously for an hour. Tasted again a day later. Thick, inky purple color running right to the edge with no hint of brown. Very tight nose, even a day later. Decent Shiraz berry essence but one keeps thinking "Where is the fruit?" Even after a day, this wine had not resolved enough to indicate good balance. I think, ultimately, that it does not have the fruit to support the tannins and will end its days as slightly weak and flaccid. I just don't see how we can give this a high rating because it does not have the backbone.
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Decanted for 3hrs. Extremely dark purple inky colour. Nose of dark fruit, blueberry, pepper (maybe even clove or mint) and a bit of boozy aromas. Tight on the palate, but got flavors of jam and sugarcoated dark fruit (cherries and plum). Short finish, firm tannins, try again in 5+ years.
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Decanted 3 ½ hr’s. An incredibly dark and nearly opaque color with a strong nose of dense blueberry. Powerful, rich, oily flavors of concentrated blueberry and dark plum with tar notes and a hint of black pepper and dark spices. Picks up some mocha on the mid-palate the longer it’s decanted. This has a rich and luxurious palate that coats the mouth with supple and lush tannins leading to a power-laden finish.
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Deep crimson-purple; intense blackberries, cherry cola, smoked meat, leather; concentrated berry, tight, medium-full body, elegant, excellent balance, good acidity, good grip, firm tannins, lingering finish. Decanted 4 hrs. Young and tight but opened up over dinner. Tremendous elegance and balance without the usual Shiraz spiciness. Delicious with oven-baked pork ribs. Needs 5+ yrs.
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2/7/2024 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 95 Points
A seriously good MV Shiraz!
Big bold fruit, integrated tannins, lovely mouth feel with a spicy finish.
Yum!
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2/3/2024 - 911henrik wrote: 92 Points
Mature, leather, liquorice, pencil, has a “dry dusty road” feel to it, almost Bordeaux-ish, but more power. Drinks very well now, but will hold up another 3-5 years I would have thought
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1/8/2024 - 911henrik wrote:
Gave to Ben & Chris
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10/22/2023 - G.M. Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blackberries, blueberries, mocha, pencil shavings. Still fresh and sweet-fruited after 20 years under screw cap. Very well balanced for a big, ripe McLaren Vale. Good length and structure. Quality stuff. Improved over the evening - would suggest a decent decant. No rush to drink these. (93 Excellent wine)
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9/10/2023 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 95 Points
From screw cap, even better than my last bottle tasted in 2021. Had the 2014 and 2004 side by side and the 2004 towered over the 2014. Much ripper, richer, thicker wine. Notes of vanilla, tar blackberries, mocha dominate this fruit bomb. Ready drink but no rush as this monster can hold another 10 to 15 years easy.
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9/9/2023 - JerM wrote: 95 Points
(magnum bottle) Wow, dark inky, black florals, lifted sweet leather, black fruit, juicy late cherry, woodspice, clove. Unctious and fully mature, soft silky tannins. With an hour, it opened really nicely, textural, silky, and gossamer. Airy, yet precise and powerful, elegant and balanced. No flagging despite the age - still powerful, even youthful. Looong finish, eucalypt, graphite, cigar box. Paired nicely with 3-cup chicken and porkbelly fried rice. Delight!
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8/26/2023 - 911henrik Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mint, caramel , licqorice , black berries. This one was perfect timing. Previous bottles from the same vintage have felt a little over the top, but this one was just perfectly ripe. I guess one should drink rather than keep though.
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8/2/2023 - chatters wrote:
First Wednesday Wine Club (Francobollo, Haberfield): "Served blind
Slightly reductive, black hued fruits, touch of sweet spice, smidgeon f chocolate, aniseed. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy, fleshy, slightly reductive, black fruits; blackberry, tangy, tight, slightly drying tannins coarse flour textured tannins.
Shiraz, McLaren Vale, 2016"
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4/25/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 90 Points
In a lovely place. Still bright with lots of fruit, but not overwhelmingly so. Some savory notes and age are coming through. Well balanced
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2/25/2023 - 911henrik wrote: 92 Points
Drink now or keep another fiveish years
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1/1/2023 - PDavisMarble wrote: 92 Points
Fresh and bright, all the excesses have been resolved What’s left is a beautiful , balanced wine. Raspberries, currants , licorice. At 18, this wine is remarkable, with a long finish. Opened well for 30 minutes after decanting, but it then faded about 90 minutes later.
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12/8/2022 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super concentrated liquorice and spice, black fruit still evident but perhaps starting to fade relative to my earlier bottles. Lovely now, no rush, but perhaps drink over the next couple of years before a gentle decline?
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12/7/2022 - Luke275 Likes this wine:
Fully mature. Dark fruits on the nose, still with some tannins. Really nice and still with some life yet.
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11/26/2022 - acheng wrote:
Drinking very nicely now. A well balanced Aussie shiraz that is aging at a glacial pace. Very nice.
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11/21/2022 - VinoHobo wrote: 96 Points
Still big, still amazing
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11/5/2022 - 911henrik wrote: 95 Points
Almost Bordeaux notes with pencil, chocolate , black berries etc. Would not have taken it for an Aussie Shiraz on the nose. However on the palate it was clear that this was not an old world wine. Excellent! Drink now, but will last another few years
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8/14/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Maybe this just needs more time... not as easy opening or as flashy as the 05
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5/21/2022 - 911henrik wrote: 92 Points
Perfect timing.
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3/26/2022 - 911henrik wrote: 84 Points
Too much tar, unbalanced.
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3/20/2022 - olioli wrote: 93 Points
Idem à ma note de février 2021.
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3/17/2022 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Goung super strong, almost youthful still
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1/19/2022 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kleur: Diep ondoordrinkbaar donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Stoer, krachtig en uitgesproken bouquet, kenmerkend voor een belegen Syrah uit de nieuwe wereld. Ook na 17 jaar nog explosief, vol donker fruit en zoetige kruiden. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad. Een 'bek vol wijn'. Krachtig, geconcentreerd en met een mooie balans. Nog geen spoor van serieus tertiaire aroma's. Algemeen / potentieel: Briljante Shiraz die nog zeker 2-3 jaar toekomst voor zich heeft. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Colour: Deep, undrinkable dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Tough, powerful and pronounced bouquet, characteristic of a mature Syrah from the new world. Even after 17 years still explosive, full of dark fruit and sweet spices. Taste / Aftertaste: Soft acidity. A 'mouth full of wine'. Powerful, concentrated and with a nice balance. No trace of serious tertiary aromas yet. Overall / potential: Brilliant Shiraz with at least 2-3 years of future ahead of him. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 13 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / Potential: 9 = 94/100
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12/10/2021 - 911henrik wrote: 92 Points
Brilliant now
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12/1/2021 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Last bottle of four, this has reached a great place defying the hot, sweet, high alc nature of Shiraz of that period. Cranberry, smoke, ash, still ample but well integrated acidity and tannins.
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11/28/2021 - 911henrik wrote: 92 Points
Red Bertils, Chaplin, pencil. Surprisingly Bordeaux like on the nose, but the palate is fresh, minty and almost sweet like you would expect. Hold up really well. Drinks well now and probably at peak another 5 years or so.
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11/25/2021 - PDavisMarble wrote: 93 Points
This wine is hitting its stride. Decanted for 30 minutes. This is a well-integrated, beautiful shiraz without the heat and over-alcoholic tone of so many "modern" Australian Shiraz'. Nice black fruits with leather and tobacco. Camphor, cedar and moist earth.
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7/23/2021 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still incredibly youthful. Fantastic.
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5/20/2021 - deverett wrote: 90 Points
Hasn’t really changed much since my last note. Powerful Shiraz, traditional, rich and deep. Dark black fruits and aniseed, oak is obvious but done well enough and doesn’t quite overpower the opulent fruit. It is a ballsy Shiraz that certainly does not drink like it’s 17 years of age. Structurally it is all there, true to style and pairs well with a nice steak or rich ragu.
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5/17/2021 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just love this stuff... and the way it has aged!
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3/14/2021 - BIN43 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still awesome. Best at 1 hour
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3/6/2021 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blind, deep bluish purple seems like a wine bottled yesterday. Dominant notes of blueberries and dark fruits. Very rich and concentrated with a finish lasting over a minute. It needs at least another 5 years to soften. It should be enjoyable for 15 years there after.
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2/20/2021 - olioli wrote: 93 Points
Depuis 14 ans en cave. 1ère de 3.
Ouvert pour accompagner de l'agneau+riz style indien.
Superbe nez de sous-bois, champignons sauvage, fruit++.
En bouche les couches de fruits se superposent, belle densité, un boisé présent mais s'harmonise bien avec l'ensemble..
Tannins très souple, mais encore de la marge pour se fondre davantage dans les prochaines années.
Acidité ok, finale demeure sur le fruit. Aucune présence d'alcool.
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11/28/2020 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still feels quite young with fresh acidity, but with dollops of black fruit, licorice, and hints of coffee and spice. Plenty of life ahead.
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11/8/2020 - Stevey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pulled from cellar, let stand for 48 hours before opening. Dark purple hue. Spicy dark berries, well balanced, well integrated tannins. In drinking window now but with sufficient stuffing to last many more years. Very good!
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9/21/2020 - deverett wrote: 91 Points
Still powering along, dark plummy black fruits, rich oak and liquorice flavours, dried herbs as well. Still opulent, primary even to a degree with ripe youthful fruit and palate weight. Length and finish show concentration and intensity. The screwcap is no doubt helping the ageing here and it should kee going for some time yet. Not in a mould that is my favourite style but still a well made Australian shiraz.
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7/26/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at 5pm and tasted over several hours. Dark garnet purple. The age has tamed this wine nicely. It is rich and chewy but not over the top in terms of fruit or any other element. The nose is definitely black fruited along with menthol, sweet spices, chocolate and earthy tobacco/cedar. Palate has decent acidity and rich black berry, plum, currant flavors followed by the earthy layers that end it a fairly long finish. Really delightful; and with plenty of life left.
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5/7/2020 - cnordstr wrote: 92 Points
Mature, yes, blueberries, medium length, integrated tannins, some secondary notes. Will hold for 5-10 years easiily.
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5/5/2020 - jmcnewjersey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tastes a bit like an aged Bordeaux. Balanced and well-structured. Dark ruby color. Blackberry notes are dominant on the nose and palate. Medium-full bodied with nice finish. Expected more and would not hold much longer - - suspect it is somewhat past prime.
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4/15/2020 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
I just love this wine! Proof that these wines age rather well. A delicate jamminess, with hints of eucalyptus and blueberries, a touch of earthiness, and quite alive and well and thriving at this point!
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3/23/2020 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very glad to have a much more. These are incredibly good wines that improve with age. Just coming into its own... and may continue to evolve and improve over the next 5 years!
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3/14/2020 - Villon wrote: 92 Points
Début de plateau.
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2/1/2020 - NTR wrote: 93 Points
2hr decant. Decent nose of tinder and pencil and pronounced aged menthol. Lively dark fruit taste. Pepper. Tannins still a bit strong even 16yrs on but I feel this is at peak, if not a bit beyond, drinking time. So reminiscent of those heady Aussie Shiraz days of the early 2000s. Drink up.
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11/24/2019 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 95 Points
Kleur: Diep ondoordringbaar donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Krachtig en opvallend vitaal bouquet. Een geur-explosie van nieuwe-wereldse Shiraz-power. Donker fruit, zwarte bessen en bramen, zoete kruidigheid, aubergine, zoethout en menthol. Smaak / Afdronk: Mondvullende, verleidelijke nieuwe-wereldse krachtpatser. Een ongelofelijke kracht en concentratie, mondvullend en dik-sappig, zachte zuurgraad. Zachte tannines die een bijna zoetige indruk achterlaten. Lange afdronk. Geen spoor van tertiaire aroma's overigens. Boterzachte power in een prachtige balans, . Algemeen / potentieel: Verleidelijke, mondvullende Aussie-Shiraz van zeldzame klasse! 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deeply impenetrable dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Powerful and strikingly vital bouquet. A scent explosion of new-worldly Shiraz power. Dark fruit, black currants and blackberries, sweet spiciness, eggplant, licorice and menthol. Taste / Aftertaste: Mouth-filling, seductive new-world powerhouse. An incredible power and concentration, mouth-filling and thick-juicy, mild acidity. Soft tannins that leave an almost sweet impression. Long finish. No trace of tertiary aromas by the way. Butter-soft power in a beautiful balance. General / potential: Seductive, mouth-filling Aussie-Shiraz of rare class! 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 95/100
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5/24/2019 - PGK wrote:
Amazing with steak
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5/4/2019 - moany rhoney wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Black fruit and spicy, complexity cloaks the ripeness on the sweet finish. Good enough to make you fall in love with Ozzy Shiraz again. Such fun.
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3/3/2019 - Wineorr Likes this wine: 93 Points
I enjoyed this wine very much. As expected the residue on the cork was black.
There was a touch of bottle stink immediately after opening but it blew off quickly.
It shows the pedigree of the 2004 vintage. Lots of blackberry, dark fruit and pepper is still playing out and the tannins are fully evolved. There is a touch of sweetness to the fruit that is indicative of 15 years in the bottle. Some subtle spice plays out with the richness of the fruit.
I suggest it is time to drink this vintage of the Dead Arm should you have any stored away.
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12/28/2018 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Barnstorming! Just what you'd expect from a Dead Arm. Barely showing its age and wonderful to drink now.
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12/9/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened to breathe and enjoyed over 2h. This was a mature and not overly fruity shiraz, some oak, faint tannins, and alcohol notes. I really appreciated that it was not a fruit bomb, the restraint here is nice. Great on burger night!
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12/4/2018 - RCS73 wrote: 90 Points
Decent/solid. Nice well-aged Aussie Shiraz with nice fruit and herbaceous notes. A pronounced raisin-y flavor that wouldn't go away and colored my perception of this bottle and many Aussie Shiraz's older than 10 years old.
Anyone try one of these at a younger age? Still raisin'y? I've begun to sour on the Aussie Shiraz in favor or Washington Syrah's.
Would appreciate any perspective or recommendations
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8/22/2018 - Cikgoo Likes this wine:
Fruit is a bit fading...
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6/27/2018 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
Drank from magnum. Cork closure. Well balanced Aussie Shiraz with pre-requisite hedonistic nose and broad flavour. Still in primary spectrum.
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5/31/2018 - Cikgoo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork broke but still going strong.
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2/23/2018 - Big K Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, Rich, and peaking. The cork was black and opulent in its nose. This is better than the much heralded 2001. My bottle poured thick, succulent wine that exuded fruit, oak and softened tannins. I’m finishing it as we speak. A good night it is.
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1/26/2018 - benny wrote: 90 Points
Waited too long to drink this bottle. Over the hill....
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1/7/2018 - VinoVeloVinyl wrote: 86 Points
From a half bottle, well kept. Passing away, a bit wiry and charmless to my palate.
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12/31/2017 - bsycheng80hk wrote:
Dec-17,
No formal note, really deep and concentrated, good nose, finish was not too long.
Seems like it can still improve
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12/21/2017 - no leashes wrote: 93 Points
Blackberry and cassis, pepper and spice. Delicious, rich and smooth, with a nice finish. Really wonderful.
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12/17/2017 - jseal@hotmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Shiraz: fantastic cherry nose. Very smooth with pepper bite at end. Cherry. Very good
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5/25/2017 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
WCC Australian Shiraz Blind (Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY): Silky, sweet and elegant. More mature, but with just the right balance of fruit. Surprised to see this was the youngest in the flight.
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4/9/2017 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Unlike my last note the wine shows great fruit definition. Blackcurrant, plum, mint and cloves - gives a really nice savoury note to this wine. The tannins are silky and nicely integrated. The only negative is the acidity which is a little sharp. The wine will continue to develop - hopefully in the right direction. I have faith (and only a few more bottles) so will look forward to the next one.
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3/31/2017 - deverett wrote: 91 Points
Still feels in the primary stage of life. Some great Shiraz fruit here, a good dollop of toasty oak as well but this feels like it has years to go even at 13 years of age. Needs a long decant to open up but rewards with plummy fruit, olives and some dried herbs. Tannins are a treat as well, fine yet grippy. The acid and alcohol perhaps a little noticeable on the finish.
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3/29/2017 - MLwine Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Yikes. First few sips were promising. Seemed like a balanced wine. After 15 minutes or so of air, however, this revealed itself as anything but. Overly sweet. Almost like a processed cherry hard candy, but with alcohol. I'd say cherry cough syrup, but it's not that bad. It won't make you pucker, but, seriously, it tastes like you're drinking alcoholic Twizzlers. I fear that, with time, it actually will only get worse. Bummer.
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3/19/2017 - smithto Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still plenty of power and fruit. A bit harsh early on, but smoothed out over a 3-4 hour period.
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3/4/2017 - chbeaumont wrote: 90 Points
Dark core, crimson rim; burly nose, mulled fruit; thick tannins, roasted black fruits, heavyweight; big, imposing finish. Ultimately lacks the requisite balance & grace.
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2/17/2017 - Villon wrote: 91 Points
Très bon vin dans un style opulent, mais avec une bonne acidité (qui semble ajoutée) et une bonne structure tannique. L'alcool est assez élevé mais relativement bien intégrer. L'élevage me semble trop appuyé cependant, avec des notes de caramel brûlé et de torréfaction. 91+
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2/6/2017 - raydawgone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark, opaque black in glass, with slight haze. Powerful aromas of burnt orange peel, tar, liquid smoke & glycerin. High, dry tannins. Powerful flavors of menthol, roasted orange peel, bramble, mulberry, blackberry and unripe blueberry. Second '04 I've consumed. Double decant, started opening up after 3 hours. Still too young!
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12/31/2016 - bryon m wrote: 91 Points
We drank two nice wines on Christmas Day The Dead Arm was very Dry, very good color and clarity. It is like licking a piece of oak tree. I really enjoyed it. The Caymus was equally as good, more complex in flavor profile. great to drink now!
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12/16/2016 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just starting to open up as a mature McLaren Vale shiraz, rich but not syrupy style. Best left for a few more years yet.
14.5%ABV, sealed with screwcap.
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9/15/2016 - djs wrote: 89 Points
Massive amount of sediment
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5/23/2016 - andtheodor wrote: 88 Points
Tasted blind. BLackberry, rubbery, five spice, anise. Somebody mentioned Dead Arm and we nod in agreement. Good.
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4/3/2016 - drunken sommelier Likes this wine:
Tasted as part of a 10 year Dead Arm vertical - '99 - '09. '04 was when Dead Arm switched from cork to screw cap and the impact is apparent. The wine is livelier, more fresh red and black fruit and floral. Acidity was high. This was a stand-out vintage in the vertical.
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2/28/2016 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
The Dead Arm does not disappoint, and this one is firmly in the middle of its optimal drinking window at 12 years of age. The color is medium (+) to deep ruby and the legs are thick and glass-staining. The nose is clean, medium (+) in intensity, with red and black fruits, leather and peppery spices. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, medium to medium (+) tannins and medium (+) alcohol at 14.5%. This wine undergoes a lot of development in the glass and should probably be decanted for maximum enjoyment. It gets rounder, bigger and fuller as it has a chance to breathe. Overall, this is a remarkably well-balanced, full-bodied, intense wine. Great with a spicy rub grilled ribeye and sharp cheeses. Drink now through 2020.
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2/21/2016 - JohnnyWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted about 4 hours. Paired with homemade Pot Roast (Barefoot Contessa recipe).
Aroma: Very berry! Boysenberry, Blueberry, Raspberry. Subdued alcohol.
Color: Deep red/purple garnet, dense, inky, opaque.
Flavor: Mildly tannic up front, fades fast, leaves slickness on tongue, chalky, those sensations up front, but quickly followed by the boysenberry from the aroma. Silky, smooth, easy drinking, warming on the tongue. Tannic backbone balanced by fruitiness & silkiness. Delicious.
Overall: First glass paired excellent with pot roast dinner, second glass was a great, relaxing sipper! Enjoyed very much!
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2/8/2016 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very dark in colour, inky.
Interesting nose of dark fruit and cassis that continued to the palate.
Drinking very well now.
I only had 2 of these so I wanted to wait until it was ready. Check.
Next bottle?
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1/4/2016 - WinoRick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark garnet, tannins resolved, with a thick dark fruit body. Excellent and seemingly on cruise control. Unfortunately, my last bottle.
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1/1/2016 - Tarpon222 wrote: 93 Points
Rich. Awesome mouthfeel and not an alcohol bomb like too many shiraz. If I had a case of this left, I would drink one a month an enjoy it at its best
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10/17/2015 - ruth3 Likes this wine:
great food wine, acidity and smooth tannins, cassis hint of pepper. went well with lamb tagine
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10/16/2015 - ruth3 Likes this wine: 98 Points
woah! rich juicy mouthfilling acid, cassis, black fruit, length. fine tannins, a little pepper. drinking beautifiully straight out of the bottle.
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8/14/2015 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
I'm really liking this. Ripe, juicy and young with blueberry, animal fur, pepper and balanced tannin and acidity.
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6/27/2015 - Andrew67 wrote: 92 Points
Interesting wine. Usually Dead Arm is concentrated and rich. This bottle was less so. The fruit did not come through, and the bottle remained tight even though it was decanted for at least 2 hours before drinking. It was still nice but not as outstanding as this wine normally is. I assume this was bottle variation. Will have to see how the next bottle goes.
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6/17/2015 - JRDillon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding bottle of wine, and so sad that it was my last 2004. So much depth and pure pleasure – was really singing. Remarkably reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux. All I have left is a couple of 2006s, and they just don't even compare.
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3/16/2015 - pc2006mg wrote: 94 Points
Excellent!
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2/28/2015 - jsebiri wrote:
very fruity , nice wine
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2/19/2015 - RichardZula Likes this wine:
Very good, lots of fine sediment, still very dark purple, deep dark fruit, very worth storing and saving.
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2/4/2015 - CAQC wrote: 94 Points
Awesome. It's delicately juicy and savoury. On the nose, medium plus intensity, lightly baked blackberries, blueberries, red cherries, white and green pepper, black olive, dried garden herbs, subtle leather. The nose uncoils very elegantly. On the palate, good match to nose, fruits are rich and juicy but also delicate and elegant. Tannins are medium plus, medium acidity. Finish ends in a lovely long crescendo.
Paired well with rare Elk and sweet breads.
Drank at Opus in Toronto, best wine list in Toronto!
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12/27/2014 - Nicholas81 wrote: 92 Points
A very powerful and acidic wine. Needs more than an hour in the decanter and should be served slightly chilled. Jammy but not syrupy plums, blackberries, pepper and cassis coat the palate with some hints of mint leaves and spice. A style that i have grown out off and while overpowering and excessive, I can certainly see the appeal. 91+ pts
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12/26/2014 - kernel Likes this wine: 95 Points
from magnum. ticks all the boxes. wonderful
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11/21/2014 - benny wrote: 94 Points
A wonderful expression of AS Shriaz. Is time to drink.
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11/16/2014 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kleur: Diep ondoordringbaar donker rood Aroma / bouquet: Expressief en complex bouquet, zwarte bessen jam, gedroogde pruimen en dadels, mint, kruidigheid. Smaak / Afdronk: Een vuistslag met een fluwelen handschoen. Dik-sappige en romig, mondvullende, intense en zeer verleidelijke wijn, gul in zijn (donkere) fruit, beperkte zuurgraad, krachtige maar volmaakt gerijpte tannines, zoetige indruk (alcohol), Algemeen / potentieel: Zeer verleidelijke, volle wijn. Prachtige (maar iets vermoeiende) Aussie-Shiraz 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deep impenetrable dark red Aroma / bouquet: Expressive and complex bouquet, black currant jam, prunes, dates, mint, spices Taste / Finish:. a punch with a velvet glove. Thick juicy and creamy, mouth-filling, intense and very seductive wine, generous in his (dark) fruit, reduced acidity, powerful yet fully ripened tannins, sweet impression (alcohol), General / potential: Extremely seductive , full bodied wine. Beautiful (but slightly tiring) Aussie Shiraz 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Taste / Finish: 17 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100
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11/2/2014 - Grinner wrote: 92 Points
18th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Lyon Down Inn): Another open nose in this flight, but now with ripe black fruit and oak. A little tighter on the palate with more obvious acidity, some spice and pepper notes. 90 on day 2.
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10/10/2014 - sj38 wrote: 95 Points
Superb example of pure Australian Shiraz at its best. Pungently characteristic on the nose with a medley of red and black fruits, leather and peppery spices. Deep ruby red in the glass showing medium-long legs. In the mouth this seems to be well proportioned and has a structure which is integrating beautifully sine the last bottle I tried. Firm tannins but by no means austere, combining well with its generous fruit and well balanced acidity. One of the best Aussie Shirazes I've had for a long time. Drinking well now but will get even better in the next few years I think.
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9/28/2014 - WDK Likes this wine: 95 Points
in a great spot. Dark ruby, full body with chewy red fuit and a long structured finish.
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7/31/2014 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine: 95 Points
Compared to the 2006 which I drank a year ago, the 2004 was a lot more flavourful, densely packed with dark fruits, cherries, blackberries, cassis, and beautifully layered, with off-dry chewy sweetness on the palate. A full-bodied Shiraz with well-integrated vanilla oak and spices, and a long finish. Not disappointing at all! Glad to have re-visited this again!
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7/31/2014 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Theme: Interesting (Pine Close): Tasted blind. Poured into decanter and aired for 3 hours while kept chilled.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, dark purplish-ruby colour. Long legs.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of sweet vanilla oak, blackberries, ripe dark plums, black cherries, sweet earth, black pepper spice. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol, very smooth mouth-coating high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of sweet vanilla oak, blackberries, ripe dark plums, black cherries, sweet earth, black pepper spice, and licorice. Long finish. Full throttle intensity overall, but still manages to find a nice balance.
Undoubtedly an Aussie Shiraz, I was guessing probably McLaren Vale.
Very good quality Shiraz. This banishes all my previous bad experiences with The Dead Arm. This kind of reminded me a bit of the Torbreck RunRig.
Drink now with extended decant, or give it another 5-8 years of aging.
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7/31/2014 - Jasonsoh83 Likes this wine: 95 Points
The last wine of the night and aptly so. Powerful intense wine. I first tasted this when it was first released in 2006/2007 at the cellar door in Mclaren vale itself as a poor student. I am so glad i revisited this wine again last night.
Decanted for 2-3 hrs before serving. Totally opaque black purple colour with a purple hue and excellent cling. The nose is brooding and alluring. Earthy notes combined with dark fruits like blackberry, plum with a tinge of vanilla oak and oriental spice. The palate is voluptous with mouth filling flavours of dark fruits which then leads to explosion of spicyness which is nice but not overpowering. Lovely, fined grained, textural tannins that seem to linger on forever on the tongue.
This is definitely a wine to bring to impress if the theme of the night is shiraz or full bodied wines.
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7/18/2014 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Last tasted 17 months ago. It has not changed much. Deep dark garnet; opaque. Aromas and flavors of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, tar, black pepper, spices, cigar box from the oak. The blueberry is the prominent berry aroma. Also, I got some tobacco this time. Big, rich and intense fruit. Viscous and almost chewy in the mouth. Very nicely balanced; good acid. I did not get much of a tannic bite on the tongue, like last time. A long lingering finish of about 30 seconds. Score 93+.
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7/6/2014 - pc2006mg wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic wine! Would love to get more.....
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6/20/2014 - Mige Likes this wine:
Intense deep ruby color. Lots of black fruit, with hints of chocolate, black pepper, worn leather and some pencil shavings - lot of different layers and some matured bordeaux-vibes. Full bodied on the palate with plums and black cherries, fresh and moderate acidity and smooth tannins. This is defenetly at the peak with such vibrant and generous finish.
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5/31/2014 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark inky black purple color, full bodied, thick, tongue-coating unctuous layer of ripe plum, black raspberry, ripe blueberry and a layer of anise and black cherry with a spicy long firm tannin lingering finish.
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5/11/2014 - godx wrote: 89 Points
Quite Syrah like with earthy and dusty notes with underlying blueberry/sweeter fruit that tells you exactly where this is from. Nose was really nice (could have less of the blueberry notes however) but the palate was boarding on being OTT, but held back enough for my tastes. Overall a nice Aussie Syrah that many people would really enjoy. Very good.
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5/7/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 94 Points
A nice Shiraz with copious amounts of fruit, creamy texture, some smoke, cedar. Quote good.
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4/12/2014 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Well, it took a long time to tame the beasties in this wine, but it has finally happened. Still a dense, purple wine, everything seems to have come together and the flavors are highly palatable. The wine is finally falling into balance. Blue fruits still dominate but there is some smoke and a hint of fire as well. This is good wine and I'm glad I waited for it.
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4/11/2014 - hkm520240 wrote: 90 Points
Dead Arm Vertical dinner (Ola Cocina Del Mar, Marina Bay Financial Centre): Very dark core but showing a developed nose of barnyard and mushroom. There seems to be some bret character found in this bottle, with some black fruits hide underneath. Soft and subtle notes of barnyard follow by black berries. Soft chewy tannins with medium finish. This looks like an off bottle to me but still some other tasters liked this wine.
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3/1/2014 - Winevestor wrote: 89 Points
Not a bad wine, but nothing special. Severely overrated by the critics. The sad thing is that I remember the 1998. That was a special wine which deserved the scores. It was a wine that got me into Aussi wines. This wine had good fruit, some leather, and is well made. It was just nothing special with little complexity
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1/22/2014 - mimik Likes this wine: 91 Points
After 10 years in the bottle, this hasn't really changed that much. Sweet saddle leather and black and blue berries on the nose with replays on the palate. It is smoother and the alcohol blends in much more without it being so singular and pronounced on the palate but it still tastes like it did 10 years. Medium long finish.
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1/22/2014 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, this was good. Deep color purple, no signs of age. black fruits, tobacco, tar , spice all rolled up into one. Full bodied and big structure. This has a way to go and I am glad I have a few more bottles to see how this evolves over time.
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11/30/2013 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 88 Points
Becoming less and less my style of wine. There was something quite nice here, and Goolia liked it a bunch. I found it monolithic and lacking interest. Blueberry and smoke.
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11/8/2013 - deverett wrote: 91 Points
Opulent, juicy fruit with great depth. Plums and coffee from the toasty oak, excellent length and structure. Feels still quite young with years ahead.
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10/11/2013 - empire80 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Seriously good Shiraz. Blueberry, earthy notes, licorice, huge concentration, very long finish. Fine strong tannin, plenty of years ahead. Very very good.
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9/29/2013 - ldorf wrote: 94 Points
Rich and decadent.
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9/13/2013 - kernel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Splendid, if only all wines at this price level were so good. beautifully perfumed nose and lovely mouthfeel that suggests its good for a few years yet, but why wait when its so charming now. Best vintage for me next to 2001
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8/23/2013 - benny wrote: 95 Points
This is one "sweet" wine. Opened for one hour and drank over 2 hours. Just kept getting better. Great now but may be even better. If you can find it buy it!
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8/2/2013 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully tonight with about 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the decanter. As is usual for Dead Arm, the rich, bold dark fruit is unapologetically big and forward with underpinnings of loamy earth, leather, tobacco and cedar. The finish is rather long and satisfying. The tannins are still chalky and abit aggressive, but not really obtrusive. All in all, quite delightful in a palate coating, teeth staining sort of way.
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7/27/2013 - Dsen Likes this wine: 94 Points
the best of the three shiraz, concentration balance
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6/15/2013 - VinoHobo wrote: 95 Points
A bit sweaty on the nose with plums, blackberry and some spice. The palate was a knockout with licorice, deep plums, earth. Huge finish. Great length
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5/4/2013 - JDRFoster wrote: 95 Points
Delicious. Beautifully balanced, rich ripe fruit, with a long finish.
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2/22/2013 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first bottle. I expected a Aussie Shiraz ala Mollydooker, but this was different. Very structured, with a powerful tannin and acid backbone, more like a Hermitage then an AS. Plenty of dark fruit, with blackberries and plum, driven by a tannins, tar, pepper and some smoke. Long finish that brought everything together. Felt very young with a long life ahead. Will wait for a few years for the next bottle.
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2/3/2013 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
Nothing the matter with this wine but it was just a bit muted. The nose is nicely open with blueberry, oak and ketone notes. Flavors of blueberry, oak and still ample tannins and acids. Good, not a great QPR.
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1/12/2013 - Tarrant wrote: 95 Points
This has come a ways since our last bottle 5 years ago, much more developed but still with many years left, amazing - Black, full bodied with a nose of blue, blackfruit, meat, pepper, spice, mocha and vanilla, amazing structure, with backbone for at least 20 more years, balanced, velvety smooth on the palate with terrific length, stunning! (95 Points).
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10/13/2012 - benny wrote: 95 Points
If you appreciate AS wine the is a winner. Opened,decanted and drank over two hours. Best with grilled Porterhouse. You can read other tasting notes..no doubt this wine is Outstanding.
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9/28/2012 - Jflawrence wrote: 89 Points
Nothing much to say about this one. It was on par with the Oberon 2010 I got from Costco. Good, but nothing special.
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9/7/2012 - Neuman wrote: 90 Points
tannic when opened but a little glass decanting did the trick( swirl and sip) drank from mag along with Tensley OGT .fun to drink the same grape from two differnt worlds. Both delicious in different ways.
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9/1/2012 - thomaskeil wrote: 86 Points
PnP (drunk over 3 nights with little change). Deep violet. Dark cherry fruit with reduced tar and raison-prune notes. Thick and penetrating palate with a redeeming hint of acidity. Soft tannins. Not complex nor finesseful. A bit clumsy. Paired well with fabada beans and morcilla.
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8/5/2012 - Colia wrote: 84 Points
Faded right away. A shame.
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7/28/2012 - Taylor56 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 60 minutes. Very rich garnet in the glass. An aromatic wine that filled the room with red fruits, meatiness and some mineral undertones. Cery full mouth - red fruits, dried herbs and minerals. Concentrated but not at all cloying or overpowering. Much improved over our last bottle.
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6/13/2012 - cambo04 wrote: 92 Points
This is going to seem strange but immediately on the nose I get charred steak and crispy fries with fruit all over the edges, weird huh? It does have oak also. The palate is supple, rounded, and smooth. Decanted for 2 hours. Tastes of black and especially blue fruit, yum, hinted with, another weird one, but rubber band, I know weird, but still there. It's heavy in black and deep blue jammy fruit, and still wonderful! Thanks Mike!!
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6/3/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 88 Points
Holding up well. Big wine with mint and some herbal character. Good with burgers. Always well made, but i feel this was best upon release.
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6/2/2012 - RayOB wrote: 89 Points
Notes of cherries, earth and tobacco.
Short to medium length
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5/28/2012 - survas wrote: 92 Points
Massive wine; still young although drinking well
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3/17/2012 - RayOB wrote: 88 Points
d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Vertical '95 - '04: The screw top has arrived
Deep dark purple
Nose of mint, eucalyptus, cherries, earth and tobacco.
Way too young with a lot of harshness in the mouth
Short length
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2/17/2012 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Still purple on the rim. Deep, dark garnet color; dense and almost opaque. I get blackberry, some raspberry and blueberry, tar, black pepper, spices, some cigar box, earthiness - complex. Big, rich and elegant in the mouth. Overall the the tannins are there, but subdued. However, there is a slight tannic bite on the tip of the tongue. Also, very slight alcohol on the back palate. A long and lingering and pleasant finish (maybe 25+ seconds). The wine gets better throughout the evening. It pairs nicely with prime N.Y. steak, but more appreciable by itself. Pretty good for a screw cap!
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12/29/2011 - pjaines wrote:
Much lighter than the massive beast of a wine that this was 4 years ago. Some light tar notes and black fruit with milky texture. Alocohol is well managed but I don't think has much stuffing for development. Decent enough but lacks real complexity.
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12/12/2011 - jorge48 wrote: 89 Points
Expressive, with notes of licorice and candy, but somewhat underwhelming.
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11/6/2011 - mmcdds wrote: 91 Points
Writing from memory and this was the last botttled tasted at the end of a long dinner party. Decanted for approximately 4 hours and, as usual for Dead Arm, needed that time to open and allow the fruit to shine. This is a massive wine with deep, rich, palate coating and very forward cassis, leather, pipe tobacco, tar and cedar flavors. The tannins on the med length finish are still abit grippy. This is drinking very nicely today but still has a very youthful quality to it. Excellent as always.
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10/28/2011 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
Wine Spectator Offline, San Diego (Mimmo's, Little Italy): Inky, dark, vibrant purple-garnet. Gorgeous, flamboyant bouquet of blackberries, boysenberries, black pepper, exotic spices, incense, barbeque. Just bursting with aroma and flavor. Rich, full-bodied, seamless, long finish. Fresh and pure with no sense of jamminess or sur-maturite. My #1 and group's SECOND PLACE overall.
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8/20/2011 - BIN43 wrote:
still great, needs atleast one hour to open
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8/19/2011 - Henman wrote: 91 Points
From a 375ml bottle.Aired for about ½ hour.Good nose showing red and dark fruit.Very primary on the palate,delivering a smooth and vibrant mix of red and dark fruit with good acidity,nice tannic grip and a fairly long finish.Improved with more airtime.Drinking nicely now but perhaps the big fruit needs a couple of years to settle down and make this wine really sing.
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8/17/2011 - bwaverley wrote: 92 Points
WIll probably not age as well as the 2002, as this has entered a stage when its losing fruit and the heat remains. Still very good, but despite its big, jammy qualities, I think we're looking at two to three years of "peak" drinking.
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6/17/2011 - benny wrote: 95 Points
If this is not a 95 nothing is. Decanted thru a vinturi 3 times. Drank over two hours. Colour is garnet inky. Nose of perfume and
cassis. Tobbaco,spices,vanila and mocha on the palate. The finish was long with hints of raspberry and gooseberry. Tannins and
acidity in balance.
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5/26/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
A prototypical Aussie Shiraz. The jamminess of the fruit has been attenuated somewhat with age, and there are some nice savory peppery/bacon notes emerging. It's nice to see that this isn't falling apart after 7 years.
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4/19/2011 - patwjr wrote: 92 Points
Needs long decant or more cellar time. 2nd half of bottle better on 2nd night.
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3/28/2011 - jorge48 wrote: 91 Points
Licorice and candy on the nose. Mouth is concentrated, big and brooding, with intermingled notes of oak, mocha, chocolate and caramel.
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3/14/2011 - patwjr wrote: 92 Points
Opened 1st night with no decant - tight, not revealing much. 2nd half of bottle on 2nd night much better. Hold on this one.
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3/4/2011 - winoj wrote: 89 Points
This one wasn't as good as I hoped, but still showed some fun signs of goodness as it opened up. Might have needed to let it sit longer.
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1/28/2011 - City Wine Journal wrote: 88 Points
Bought on release. Decanted for sediment. Deeply colored, bright disc, leggy, watery rim. Warm, red fruit and spice/cloves nose. A touch watery. red plums and pepper, medium finish. Not bad, but not all it might have been.
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1/14/2011 - Vinacull wrote: 92 Points
Vinturi to decanter, let sit 90 min, back into bottle. Color is deep red loaded with black tones with no sign of bricking, opaque to rim, inky, full body, perhaps two tablespoons of sediment left in bottle. On opening the bouquet was tight and dense with dark currants, cassis, tar, minerals and earth, along with mild inflections of oak. Serving this blind to the wine store owner, he guessed premium cab. If you're drinking this P&P and in under two hours which is the typical scenario, you're missing out, and this may account for some of the less favorable reviewer notes. This really began strutting hours 3-7. Excellent depth of currants and raspberries both black and red, tar, tomato paste, flowery perfume, well done oak and a bit of alcohol coming through at times. Concentrated on the palate with a nervy backbone of acidity that rides all the way through a lengthy dry finish of raspberries, coffee bean and earth. Big tannins, but they are fairly well integrated. Overall a blockbuster old school shiraz showing lots of character through old vines intensity and a strong mix of earth and minerals. Compared to many other premium Oz-shiraz offerings that are uni-dimensional fruit bombs and more costly, this was well worth it at 40 USD. Will drink the next in 5 years.
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1/9/2011 - wurzel68 wrote: 88 Points
Tief purpur, reiche Kirsch- und Beerennoten, schwarzer Pfeffer, Vanille, subtile mineralische Anklänge; trotz langer Belüftung am Anfang alkoholisch-heiß, feine Tannine, straffe Säure; trotz aller Struktur, wie bereits von vielen Vorverkostern beschrieben, kaum Individualität. Dafür im Vergleich zu anderen Aussies ungünstiges PLV...
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1/8/2011 - jonradus wrote: 84 Points
This was a let down. A much cheaper Aussie shiraz would have got the job done. The nose is blackberry, raspberry, and peppery vanilla. The taste is a little flabby with no particular special flavors or intriguing fruit showing. It's too one-dimensional to put it in the upper echelon of shiraz. The finish is good, but nothing special. I just expected more from this wine and was let down. Maybe it's not ready, maybe it just isn't that good, or maybe I just got a bad bottle. Either way, I won't buy any more to find out. It's too expensive for what you get.
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12/26/2010 - WDK wrote: 93 Points
same as before
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12/10/2010 - redrhonewine wrote: 88 Points
Big dark fruits, blueberries, etc and not a whole lot else going on here. Yes, the fruit is wonderful but I'd like more body. Disappointing in retrospect as I've always loved The Dead Arm in previous vintages. This reminded me of other aussie shiraz - high scoring fruit bombs with nothing else to say.
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12/5/2010 - sumshark wrote:
Tannins are in control, moderate fruit backbone, but not ready to drink at this point.
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11/28/2010 - esb wrote: 91 Points
Very nice wine. Interesting complex fruit with blackberry, plum, spicy chocolate and light mint. Ripe and classy in the mouth with great texture, plentiful acidity and light smooth tannin. Overall, big, not over the top, ready now but will improve, complete with high quality elements. Give it air.
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11/14/2010 - parathesis wrote: 91 Points
Nice ready to drink. Drank as as a refresher while racking the '10 grenache.
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11/3/2010 - drunkstar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Remains a benchmark....remains surprisingly similar to when i first tried it....maybe the screw cap? Rich, thick and chewy.....but not as ott as one might imagine
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10/23/2010 - peterk wrote: 94 Points
Rich, tannic, fruit, fruit, fruit!
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10/1/2010 - VoteferPedro wrote: 92 Points
Better than I expected. Served from a magnum with no decant.
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4/4/2010 - mreinitz wrote: 91 Points
Plum and dark berries along with some red fruit (I thought cherries, Betsy said Raspberries), dark chocolate, and nice minerality emerging on the finish. Not much in the way of acid or tannins so I'm not sure how much more this will develop. It tasted good and was enjoyable to drink but not really a special wine especially considering its cost.
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2/9/2010 - John wrote: 81 Points
still not ready. but it has worked itself out a little more. the heat has dropped but is still there. give it 3 more years and it should be approachable then
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12/13/2009 - WDK wrote: 94 Points
Best on day 2. Very Rhone like shiraz. Thick and viscous, tart red fruit and earth. Lip smacking finish.
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12/8/2009 - jamieirving wrote: 90 Points
Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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11/29/2009 - tonsta wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hr. Bruiser of a wine but not in an over-extracted way (it may have suffered from being served after the more 'delicate' -01 Gaia). Plenty going on and has settled a lot since trying it on release (where it was in penetrable!).
Dead Arm is one of my favourite wines and I think this will be hitting its straps in 2014.
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11/15/2009 - jamieirving wrote: 90 Points
Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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10/20/2009 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Aussie Shiraz at Zoe: Great nose; Palatte doesn't jump out; Needs air and it really improves
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10/20/2009 - jamieirving wrote: 90 Points
This 100% Shiraz is aged in French and American oak for 22 months! Inky black in the glass with a garnet rim. I found savoury characters on the nose, some minerality and a hint of leather. It's been a year and a half since I last tried this wine, and the palate is mellowing nicely. I found stewed plum, tobacco, white pepper and a lovely violet character on the finish.
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5/16/2009 - bwaverley wrote: 92 Points
Markedly better than earlier experiences with this vintage, but it took three hours of decanting time to really enjoy fruit on the finish. Still quite a bit of heat. This is a very well balanced wine with tobacco, spice and dark berries in the bouquet. The finish delivers dark chocolate, blackcurrants and spice. You must give this wine time and pair it with food; otherwise you will be disappointed.
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4/23/2009 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
At Raab
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4/21/2009 - BRSAustinTex wrote: 92 Points
Great fruit forward jammy flavor balanced by some nice earthy notes and a great structure.
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4/17/2009 - boxwine_in_hell wrote: 92 Points
I've heard and seen reviews of wine described as having a bacon fat smell/taste and I always thought that was nuts. Well I finally smelled and tasted bacon fat in a wine. The nose is spicy, blackberry, vanilla, raspberry and yes bacon fat. The taste is even more apparent, I could actually detect smoked bacon on the pallet along with plum skin, strawberry and pepper. This wine is fairly complex. I thought there was a nice balance of sweetness and tartness to the tannins. Loved it.
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3/2/2009 - idrinkvino wrote: 89 Points
Fairly mundane.
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1/18/2009 - lhickey wrote: 87 Points
Medium to full bodied with low-med acidity. A little tight and simple compared to the 03. Disappointed. Not sure how much it will improve with age due to the screwcap. I will come back to this in 5 yrs.
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1/11/2009 - beachnic wrote: 89 Points
closed and tannic. Big brooding and fairly monolithic .Not ready.
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1/3/2009 - ayshin wrote: 93 Points
Big, very big. Peppery, bold, great finish
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12/15/2008 - VinumCA wrote: 90 Points
Still a tight and tannic monster at age four, there are hints of the potential evident in the huge boysenberry and blackcurrant flavours, rich allspice notes and long finish. Everything is still unbalanced by the deft, somewhat coarse tannins that are only now beginning to die down but still manage to make their voices heard. This certainly has tons of potential but I'm doubtful of any bottles prior to 2012.
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10/30/2008 - bwaverley wrote: 85 Points
A marked disappointment, especially when compared to my experience with the 2002 vintage. Bouquet was tight and constrained, and the finish was abrasive - possibly a bad bottle, but enough fruit came through in the finish that I'm inclined to say that this is a generally overrated performance by D'Arenberg.
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10/10/2008 - ews3 wrote: 80 Points
Not awful, but really disappointign for the price. Watery flavor profile, almost as if it had been diluted.
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10/10/2008 - jrobs7777 wrote: 83 Points
Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This fell into the bottom tier in our blind syrah/shiraz tasting of 12 wines. It had a bizarre nose of salt water and armpits. It was not well regarded, though the taste was better than the nose. The palate was simple and watery. Others thought that it was sour and harsh. When the wine was revealed, we were surprised that this fared so poorly, considering how well regarded it is by eRobert Parker. We tasted none of the cassis, pepper or fruit that Jay Miller identified. And none of the wines were popped and poured. Many were double decanted, while others were simply opened several hours ahead of time.
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9/12/2008 - Medo wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 6 hours. Lovely nose with flavors of chocolate coverd blackberries, blueberries and plums together with some peppery spices. Good depth and bodyweight, a solid tannin backbone and bursts of black fruits including black raspberries dominating the palate. Ending in a long and delicious finish. This baby need at least 4-5 years to reach its peak, but a pleasure to drink right now with a decent decanting time.
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9/8/2008 - sonakul_t wrote: 91 Points
Deep purple filled with loads of black fruits. Good nose, medium to full bodied, with good tannins. Lush fruits on the palate and a little spicy finish.
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6/9/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 90 Points
Very tasty! Deep purple in colour I found more savoury aromas. The palate is packed full of fruit, well integrated oak, as well as a hint of spice. Drinking nicely, but I'm going to leave my last 3 bottles for a few more years.
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6/3/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 90 Points
Another lovely bottle - deep purple in colour with great savoury aromas. The palate is packed full of fruit, well integrated oak, as well as a hint of spice. Drinking nicely, but could probably be cellared for another 10 years!
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5/29/2008 - joshwoodward wrote: 95 Points
Nose with corn, jam, butter. Wow - juicy, spicy, hits mouth and explodes. Huge, big body, light jamminess. Balanced. Acidic.
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5/14/2008 - ChinonRouge wrote: 93 Points
Very nice. Aromatic with a good finish.
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5/3/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 92 Points
Deep purple with ruby red edges, this wine showed savoury, earth characters such as roasted capsicum and tobacco on the nose. The palate was deep and full - jammy fruit, white pepper, cigar box characters. Aging well. Very nice.
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4/20/2008 - esb wrote: 91 Points
Three hour decant. Dark, inky color. Aroma shows ripe plum with chocolate. Rich and young with youthful tingle from tannin. Concentrated but needs time for palate to develop. Give it two or three years. Good at the table.
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3/31/2008 - PDavisMarble wrote: 92 Points
Drunk with lamb rack. Very young, but excellent -- lots of black fruits. Some chocolate, moderate tannin. Good structure. Should mature relatively rapidly. Mouth & nose are long and wine developed well in the glass over the meal.
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3/6/2008 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
CSCA: Black purple; nose of licorice, tar, black fruits; mouth is teeth staining, very concentrated, huge flavors of black fruits, tar, sweet black stuff, blackberry conentrate; tons of great a’s in there w/some wood complement. Good fin. Too big, though.
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2/17/2008 - MattJ wrote: 90 Points
Much too young to really evaluate this. Inky purple and firm tannins that seemed a little overwhelming on the finish. Blueberries and some dark fruits. I'm not sure how this will age and am giving the critics the benefit of the doubt that this will develop into something more enjoyable down the line. 90 at this point.
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2/9/2008 - SBA Guru wrote: 94 Points
I know its too young but was in the mood, decanted 3 hours, great fruit, will balance more over time.
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1/28/2008 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Binny's Shiraz Tasting (St. Charles, Illinois): This was an inky purple color. Full bodied with notes of crushed grape skins and dark chocolate. Ripe tannins. I thought this was more approachable now than the 1998, 1999 or the 2001 at the same age. On par with the 2001 but slightly behind the 1998 or 1999 quality wise in my opinion. 92 points.
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12/19/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 94 Points
Still to young to tell, strong blackberry but closed with a hot finish, tannins still big. Needs a few years. I had originally been dissapointed when I purchased these a year ago that D'Arenberg went with a screw top on such a well crafted wine that was designed with bottle aging in mind. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2005 Dead Arm at Hi-time on the shelf with a cork. Had to do a mini blind virticle of 2004 and 2005 having loved 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The 2005 was not as hot and actually seemed closer to maturity. I don't plan on drinking either for at least 2 years probably 3, both should be outstanding, time will tell.
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10/27/2007 - mimik wrote: 91 Points
Montreal Monster Wine Tasting @ Chez Christophe; 10/26/2007-10/27/2007: Strong nose of eucalyptus, camphor and mint with a definite blackberry jam component. More blackberry oozing on the well structured palate but hits you with a wall of tannins on the finish. Improved over the night but obviously way too closed now. Decanted 1 hour, needed more like 5 hours.
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10/26/2007 - vinaigre wrote: 93 Points
Montreal Offline: Monster wine tasting (Restaurant Chez Christophe's): Very deep ruby red. superb nose of blackberries, cassis, pepper and oak. Nice smooth tannins with a good balance of acidity. Tight finish of short to medium length. This was nice but young all over.
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9/16/2007 - Hogan158 wrote:
Definitely needs food , thick Chewy , well balanced,excellent bottle
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9/5/2007 - wombat wrote:
Needs 2-3 years and can age up to 12-15. $60.
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8/15/2007 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Oso with Ray. Decanted for an hour, drank over 3 hours.
What a beautiful wine. Incredibly fruity, with all sorts of things going on with the nose - plum, cassis, vanilla, smoke, chocolate. Beautifully approachable already, with lots of plummy fruits on the palate and just that hint of strawberry, just that slight bit one dimensional on the attack, but it is so yummy! Sweet, but not cloyingly so, wonderfully balanced at such a young age, and quite ready to drink with a lengthy decant. Long, long finish with a flourish of smoke at the end.
My only worry? This lacks a bit of the structure of other Dead Arms I have tried. May score really well now, but I am not sure how it will perform 5-10 years down the road.
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7/8/2007 - rob1869 wrote: 91 Points
Drunk over 3 nights; Deep purple; Strong black fruit and pepper, a touch of prune. A bit bretty on the first night but much less so later (not sure how that's possible though, hmmm.....). Good acidity. Full-on style and still tannic for a while yet. Hot and a bit rough on the finish. A bit too much for me at this stage but plenty of potential.
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7/1/2007 - drcbarroso wrote: 85 Points
Consumed as part of a high-end tasting where it was tasted blind. There were some comments that the wines were served a bit too warm, but not overly so. Dark purple in color with no bricking. Nose was very tight, (have no idea on decanting time for this) but showed some baking cherry, a bit of oak and some heat. Baking cherry came through on the palate. Very tannic wine, with high acidity producing a long finish of cherry. My lowest rated wine of the night. Probably drank too young.
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6/7/2007 - old tractor wrote: 84 Points
Violets, sweet caramel, vanilla, wet brick. Fruit does not show through. Astringent finish. Wanted to like this wine, but found it lacking as a syrah (shiraz). Not a special, but rather pedestrian wine.
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5/19/2007 - Tarrant wrote: 91 Points
Drank at my brothers - Massive concentration, dark purple, extreme fruit and oak on the nose with noticeable tannic structure, very smooth with excellent length, can't beliieve we drank this without extreme beef! (91 Points).
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4/21/2007 - jpan wrote:
I can't improve on the comments made by recent reviewers. We're obviously drinking the same wine. I will be interested to see how it ages, and I'll lay off for several years, at least!
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4/20/2007 - mimik wrote: 93 Points
Dark brooding nose of plums, wild blackberry(the slightly unripe kind) with licorice, smoke and dark chocolate replays> The palate was dense, very extracted wine with a nice acidity of more blackberry flavours and a tannic bite that coat your mouth for over 30seconds. This will get so much better 93+ for now.
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4/2/2007 - groper1234 wrote: 94 Points
What a wine! Very good concentration, amazing nose with licorice, graphite, blackberries and dark plums. Palate is spicy sour and smooth with slight saltyness. It finishes very long with nice warmth of the stomach. For me, this is slightly one dimentional in your face wine but very drinkable one with plenty of power and structure!
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3/22/2007 - SoCal wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. The color was dark purple…I mean real dark like ink.
The nose was as expected very tight but came across as dark cherry. The mid-pallet had a lot going on some of which I have to say I could not identify. But I got Cherries, dark berry, and bitterness from the tannins. As it opened up I detected less bitterness and more big fruit.The finish was mouth coating and gripped the back of my cheeks and would not let go. The taste had some cherry cough syrup aspects to it…but in a good way. Alcohol was high. I could tell over the 1-2 hour I drank the wine that there were some interesting more old world like secondary flavors that were faint. I can only assume that this would enhance with age. To me I like both Old and New World style. I think they have a time and place. Personally this wine I would not drink before or with food. It was very enjoyable but gave me some degree of palate fatigue.
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3/10/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at a retail wine tasting. Notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, tar, and pepper. Comes across as a very serious and brooding drink. The tannins grip you like rigor mortis. While clearly well made, I think it needs some time to come together more fully and to relax a bit. The densest and most structured of the three shirazes I had that day. 91-92 points.
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1/20/2007 - GolferChris wrote: 95 Points
Amazing Aussie Tasting- 38 Wines (Binny's, Schaumburg, IL (NW Suburbs - Chicago)): Incredible wine. Great nose of raspberry, blackberry, spice, pepper, vanilla, violet and cocoa. Huge, mouthfilling tannins with balance and finesse, along with amazing depth and complexity. Layer upon layer of flavors in the mouth with a tremendous 40+ second finish. Big, big wine that will only get better for 10 or more years. At $54, this is an incredible value when compared to 95 point Napa Cabs.
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1/18/2007 - asiabear wrote: 88 Points
Opened on my birthday and decanted vigorously for an hour. Tasted again a day later. Thick, inky purple color running right to the edge with no hint of brown. Very tight nose, even a day later. Decent Shiraz berry essence but one keeps thinking "Where is the fruit?" Even after a day, this wine had not resolved enough to indicate good balance. I think, ultimately, that it does not have the fruit to support the tannins and will end its days as slightly weak and flaccid. I just don't see how we can give this a high rating because it does not have the backbone.
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1/5/2007 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 3hrs. Extremely dark purple inky colour. Nose of dark fruit, blueberry, pepper (maybe even clove or mint) and a bit of boozy aromas. Tight on the palate, but got flavors of jam and sugarcoated dark fruit (cherries and plum). Short finish, firm tannins, try again in 5+ years.
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12/9/2006 - GreenDrazi wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 3 ½ hr’s. An incredibly dark and nearly opaque color with a strong nose of dense blueberry. Powerful, rich, oily flavors of concentrated blueberry and dark plum with tar notes and a hint of black pepper and dark spices. Picks up some mocha on the mid-palate the longer it’s decanted. This has a rich and luxurious palate that coats the mouth with supple and lush tannins leading to a power-laden finish.
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11/29/2006 - ColinR wrote: 94 Points
Deep crimson-purple; intense blackberries, cherry cola, smoked meat, leather; concentrated berry, tight, medium-full body, elegant, excellent balance, good acidity, good grip, firm tannins, lingering finish.
Decanted 4 hrs. Young and tight but opened up over dinner. Tremendous elegance and balance without the usual Shiraz spiciness. Delicious with oven-baked pork ribs. Needs 5+ yrs.
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