From screwcap, possibly the lightest Dead Arm I have tasted. Not very complex yet silky. Doesn’t possess the typical tar and dark fruit components usually found in an Australian Shiraz. Still enjoyable but not sure it is worth it’s regular price. Drink over the following 5 years before the fruit fades away.
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A: deep, garnet N: dried fig, ripe red and black plum, black pepper, vanilla/cocoa, earth, baking spice P: dry, med (+) fine, smooth tannins, med acidity, high ABV C: good wine = med (+) intensity, med concentration, med complexity, balanced tertiary notes/fruit with smooth tannins, med finish, med (+) length, drink now, already at peak.
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It completes surprise to the downside. It's green on the nose and it's green on the pallet. It doesn't quite come across as hot but it's certainly is not a good example of mclaren Vale or of dead arm.
Dark color and dense tears. Intense wood and spices nose. Palate has moderate acidity, fleshy tannins, spicy heat, dark plums without much sweetness. Finishes medium. Need to be vintage picky here.
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This is in a really nice spot. 15 min decant and it was great from the first sip. Drank over three hours and it kept getting better for about 90 minutes and then it plateaued. Nice nose, good fruit, smooth totally integrated tannins. Some complexity and a ok finish. Worth its price imo.
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Quite closed nose (no fruit to speak off, a bit rubbery, petroleum - like walking into a mechanics workshop); quite intense palate with strong tannins and acid, deep, concentrated, but very little fruit coming through, more savory, medicinal, chemical kind of flavors. It's obviously built to be a blockbuster, but it's too intense and not balanced. Maybe I opened it too early, but I just can't see it becoming any better.
Tried this 3 times over 3 days, including a vigorous decant for part of the bottle. Maybe after air you start to detect some black fruits just trying to escape but being beaten by a rubberized mallet!
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Etihad & Lufthansa - flights & lounges; 9/8/2019-9/14/2019 (Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Berlin): {screwcap, 14.6%} Rich blackberries, plums, black fruit jam; the whole show is here. Not overly oaky, just super-concentrated fruit. Still an inky-ruby colour too. The palate is lavish and warm, even a bit fumey. Rich and jammy, even at this altitude (somewhere at 35000 feet over the Northern Territory). Palate is warm though, and sits rather more on the front than you expect from a top-shelf McLaren Vale shiraz. Medium/full-bodied. Tending just a bit towards the over-ripe in my view, with the usual effects on length of finish (medium at best) and longevity; err on the side of caution. Good wine objectively, yet a bit behind the mark for a flagship cuvee. (Etihad EY451 First Class: Sydney-Abu Dhabi)
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the aromatics are fantastic there are beautiful flowers with tart red fruit and a bit of eucalyptus thrown in...I could smell this all night first sip was not balance but after 1.5 hours air the fruit (raspberries) and balance are there
I did notfind it over ripe nor dud I get alcoholic heat (both seem to disturb me in other aussie shirazs)
I am not at all sure how screwtop wines age. I have stored this at 57F sunce release BUT since there was no cork, it has stood upright
I wonder if that makes my impression more favorable than other recent reviews
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Super fruité et soyeux mais ne cadre plus dans mes gouts, un peu TOO MUCH, mais un verre une fois de temps en temps d'une bouteille d'un chum, c'est pas de refus!
14,6% alcohol, 0,9 g/l residual sugar, 7,3 g/l acidity, pH 3,47. Aged for 18 months in barriques (old American, new French and old French).
Dense and concentrated black purple color, totally opaque. Surprisingly restrained nose with dark-toned aromas of asphalt, some peppery spice, a little bit of earth and a hint of concentrated blackberry. The wine is very full-bodied, opulent and chewy on the palate with rich and spicy flavors of crushed peppercorns, ripe blackcurrants, succulent blackberries, some sweet oak spice, a little bit of sunny dark fruits and boysenberries and a hint of charred meat. Overall the mouthfeel is quite massive and robust with moderately grippy tannins and relatively high acidity - for such monolithic body. The finish is long and meaty with concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry, robust spices, some meaty tones, a little bit of crunchy blackcurrant and a little bit of bitterness. The high alcohol lends a warming touch to the aftertaste.
A big and impressive Ozzie Shiraz, yet not as big and massive as I expected it to be. And that is not to say that this wine isn't monolithic. Despite its size, it shows some impressive structure and even a little bit of finesse. However, at 38,70€, I still expected a lot more. This is a blockbuster for sure, but not really one showing good value. Perhaps the wine would perform a bit better if left to age in a cellar, so it would lose some of its baby fat? I can imagine I would enjoy this wine a lot more with less extraction and more finesse.
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Fragrant and complex bouquet of toasty oak, cocoa power, blueberries, over ripe plums, earthy spices with savoury notes and hints of vanilla. Very big and intense in the palate, full of spicy black plums, licorice and spices (Clove & cinnamon) and some leathery notes in the mid-palate. But overall balance of lifted acidity, fine grained tannins and dark fruits in the structure. Not your super rich fruit Shiraz from Barossa, this Mclaren Vale has the finesse and sophistication to appeal. Need at least an hour in the decanter to open up. Wait for another 5 years to show its potential.
Retasted in Jan 2021, nose is still as complex but less forward. The cocoa and peppery spices are more pronounced now, showing good varietal character. Palate has a touch more elegance with everything in good balance, ending with with a long and deep finish. Ready to drink now and it should stay this way for the next 5 years. To increase by 1 point to 92 pts.
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Semi-lucent ruby core with a narrow vague rim and a purple tint. Medium white pepper, a hint of mushroom. Medium juicy cherry and lesser strawberry jam and a lingering fresh boxwood finish with a hint of caramel and some old oak in the long finish and Grape seed oil and a hint of latte at higher temperature. Medium acidity, dry, medium+alcohol, medium fine-grained drying tannin, medium+ body. Good balance holding the alcohol, solid and long length, good intensity, good complexity. 89+, at top and drink now.
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For those who like their McLaren Vale Shiraz on the younger side this is entering the drinking window. Very intense berry flavours with a long finish. The mouthfeel is very pleasant - it isn't quite as acidic and tannic as it was 12-18 months back. Obviously still has a decade or two left if you prefer more age and complexity on the wine. Doubtless a top Dead Arm vintage.
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P: MF, poss Med, body; Almost swtish frt met by pucker early mid palate, this largely resolving by the VERY long finish. Seamless 7 excellently balance, this is a VERY well made wine which DESERVES several (min 3?) yrs in the cellar to reach its potential. :)
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Warm shiraz notes, bright pruple rasp-blueberry, underlying spiciness, quite lively, light on its feet for this potent of a wine. Actually nice balance for McLaren Vale.
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Intense dark purple colour; Nose is tough to describe; lots of dark fruits on the palate, full-bodied, mouth-drying tannins; medium-high acid; medium-long finish. Enjoyable now but definitely better in 2 years.
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Hdr Closing Tasting: Black raspberries and cedar on the nose. Tannic. Black raspberries on the palate. Its been a decade since I had one and about how I remembered it.
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4/14/2024 - depdoc wrote: 88 Points
Last of my bottles. Not much fruit.
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9/5/2023 - Ara Kafafian wrote: 91 Points
From screwcap, slightly better than the one I reviewed last month. Seemed like there was more volume in the finish.
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7/30/2023 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 90 Points
From screwcap, possibly the lightest Dead Arm I have tasted. Not very complex yet silky. Doesn’t possess the typical tar and dark fruit components usually found in an Australian Shiraz. Still enjoyable but not sure it is worth it’s regular price. Drink over the following 5 years before the fruit fades away.
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5/29/2023 - despore Likes this wine: 89 Points
A: deep, garnet
N: dried fig, ripe red and black plum, black pepper, vanilla/cocoa, earth, baking spice
P: dry, med (+) fine, smooth tannins, med acidity, high ABV
C: good wine = med (+) intensity, med concentration, med complexity, balanced tertiary notes/fruit with smooth tannins, med finish, med (+) length, drink now, already at peak.
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6/30/2022 - Barnaby33 wrote:
It completes surprise to the downside. It's green on the nose and it's green on the pallet. It doesn't quite come across as hot but it's certainly is not a good example of mclaren Vale or of dead arm.
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11/21/2020 - farinas wrote: 90 Points
Dark color and dense tears. Intense wood and spices nose. Palate has moderate acidity, fleshy tannins, spicy heat, dark plums without much sweetness. Finishes medium. Need to be vintage picky here.
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8/15/2020 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 90 Points
Light nose of sour cherry, cherry and blackberry fruit on the palate as well. Good juice, but not spectacular.
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6/1/2020 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is in a really nice spot. 15 min decant and it was great from the first sip. Drank over three hours and it kept getting better for about 90 minutes and then it plateaued. Nice nose, good fruit, smooth totally integrated tannins. Some complexity and a ok finish. Worth its price imo.
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5/15/2020 - ctinoz Does not like this wine: 83 Points
Quite closed nose (no fruit to speak off, a bit rubbery, petroleum - like walking into a mechanics workshop); quite intense palate with strong tannins and acid, deep, concentrated, but very little fruit coming through, more savory, medicinal, chemical kind of flavors. It's obviously built to be a blockbuster, but it's too intense and not balanced. Maybe I opened it too early, but I just can't see it becoming any better.
Tried this 3 times over 3 days, including a vigorous decant for part of the bottle. Maybe after air you start to detect some black fruits just trying to escape but being beaten by a rubberized mallet!
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9/8/2019 - graemeg wrote:
Etihad & Lufthansa - flights & lounges; 9/8/2019-9/14/2019 (Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Berlin): {screwcap, 14.6%} Rich blackberries, plums, black fruit jam; the whole show is here. Not overly oaky, just super-concentrated fruit. Still an inky-ruby colour too. The palate is lavish and warm, even a bit fumey. Rich and jammy, even at this altitude (somewhere at 35000 feet over the Northern Territory). Palate is warm though, and sits rather more on the front than you expect from a top-shelf McLaren Vale shiraz. Medium/full-bodied. Tending just a bit towards the over-ripe in my view, with the usual effects on length of finish (medium at best) and longevity; err on the side of caution. Good wine objectively, yet a bit behind the mark for a flagship cuvee. (Etihad EY451 First Class: Sydney-Abu Dhabi)
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9/6/2018 - Barnaby33 wrote:
Too young, tannic and brooding. Needs a few more years. Good fruit and structure though.
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6/30/2018 - Miceri Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark red almost black; powerful, masculine, tobacco
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3/23/2018 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:
dark violet hue
the aromatics are fantastic
there are beautiful flowers with tart red fruit and a bit of eucalyptus thrown in...I could smell this all night
first sip was not balance but after 1.5 hours air the fruit (raspberries) and balance are there
I did notfind it over ripe nor dud I get alcoholic heat (both seem to disturb me in other aussie shirazs)
I am not at all sure how screwtop wines age. I have stored this at 57F sunce release BUT since there was no cork, it has stood upright
I wonder if that makes my impression more favorable than other recent reviews
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12/6/2017 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Super fruité et soyeux mais ne cadre plus dans mes gouts, un peu TOO MUCH, mais un verre une fois de temps en temps d'une bouteille d'un chum, c'est pas de refus!
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9/13/2017 - vintage_whine wrote:
reserved and as elegant as shiraz gets, still decent mint/cassis balance to be classic and enjoyable
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8/26/2017 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points
14,6% alcohol, 0,9 g/l residual sugar, 7,3 g/l acidity, pH 3,47. Aged for 18 months in barriques (old American, new French and old French).
Dense and concentrated black purple color, totally opaque. Surprisingly restrained nose with dark-toned aromas of asphalt, some peppery spice, a little bit of earth and a hint of concentrated blackberry. The wine is very full-bodied, opulent and chewy on the palate with rich and spicy flavors of crushed peppercorns, ripe blackcurrants, succulent blackberries, some sweet oak spice, a little bit of sunny dark fruits and boysenberries and a hint of charred meat. Overall the mouthfeel is quite massive and robust with moderately grippy tannins and relatively high acidity - for such monolithic body. The finish is long and meaty with concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry, robust spices, some meaty tones, a little bit of crunchy blackcurrant and a little bit of bitterness. The high alcohol lends a warming touch to the aftertaste.
A big and impressive Ozzie Shiraz, yet not as big and massive as I expected it to be. And that is not to say that this wine isn't monolithic. Despite its size, it shows some impressive structure and even a little bit of finesse. However, at 38,70€, I still expected a lot more. This is a blockbuster for sure, but not really one showing good value. Perhaps the wine would perform a bit better if left to age in a cellar, so it would lose some of its baby fat? I can imagine I would enjoy this wine a lot more with less extraction and more finesse.
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8/25/2017 - czar33 wrote: 90 Points
Solide, plein de promesses, long et bien présent en bouche, du fruit et de beaux tannins, pas du tout lourd ou confituré.
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8/12/2017 - Psdycp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fragrant and complex bouquet of toasty oak, cocoa power, blueberries, over ripe plums, earthy spices with savoury notes and hints of vanilla. Very big and intense in the palate, full of spicy black plums, licorice and spices (Clove & cinnamon) and some leathery notes in the mid-palate. But overall balance of lifted acidity, fine grained tannins and dark fruits in the structure. Not your super rich fruit Shiraz from Barossa, this Mclaren Vale has the finesse and sophistication to appeal. Need at least an hour in the decanter to open up. Wait for another 5 years to show its potential.
Retasted in Jan 2021, nose is still as complex but less forward. The cocoa and peppery spices are more pronounced now, showing good varietal character. Palate has a touch more elegance with everything in good balance, ending with with a long and deep finish. Ready to drink now and it should stay this way for the next 5 years. To increase by 1 point to 92 pts.
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7/7/2017 - peterag Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very dark color, high alcohol level that is easy to smelll/taste on the palate; very ripe cherries
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4/29/2017 - pipetree Likes this wine: 89 Points
Semi-lucent ruby core with a narrow vague rim and a purple tint. Medium white pepper, a hint of mushroom. Medium juicy cherry and lesser strawberry jam and a lingering fresh boxwood finish with a hint of caramel and some old oak in the long finish and Grape seed oil and a hint of latte at higher temperature. Medium acidity, dry, medium+alcohol, medium fine-grained drying tannin, medium+ body. Good balance holding the alcohol, solid and long length, good intensity, good complexity. 89+, at top and drink now.
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3/27/2017 - DanCulpitt Likes this wine: 91 Points
For those who like their McLaren Vale Shiraz on the younger side this is entering the drinking window. Very intense berry flavours with a long finish. The mouthfeel is very pleasant - it isn't quite as acidic and tannic as it was 12-18 months back. Obviously still has a decade or two left if you prefer more age and complexity on the wine. Doubtless a top Dead Arm vintage.
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1/14/2017 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [Various Reds + a Celebratory Magnum] for 1/13/17 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: MUTED; some jam atop smoke with pyrazines underneath?
P: MF, poss Med, body; Almost swtish frt met by pucker early mid palate, this largely resolving by the VERY long finish. Seamless 7 excellently balance, this is a VERY well made wine which DESERVES several (min 3?) yrs in the cellar to reach its potential. :)
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12/26/2016 - despore wrote: 91 Points
6 hr decant and it opened quite nicely, rich Shiraz but with more tannins than expected, and less fruit than a 'typical' Dead Arm.
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11/1/2016 - Double-A wrote: 85 Points
Concentrated blackberry nose. Dense and assertive fruit and tannin. Awkward, high acid that lingers to the finish.
2.5/5
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10/15/2016 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Warm shiraz notes, bright pruple rasp-blueberry, underlying spiciness, quite lively, light on its feet for this potent of a wine. Actually nice balance for McLaren Vale.
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10/7/2016 - chrischau Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Nose:
Strong berry scent.
Taste:
Tannnic, sour (a bit too much), mild finish.
Verdict:
Not ready to drink yet.
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6/10/2016 - DanCulpitt Likes this wine:
Intense dark purple colour; Nose is tough to describe; lots of dark fruits on the palate, full-bodied, mouth-drying tannins; medium-high acid; medium-long finish. Enjoyable now but definitely better in 2 years.
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4/19/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Hdr Closing Tasting: Black raspberries and cedar on the nose. Tannic. Black raspberries on the palate. Its been a decade since I had one and about how I remembered it.
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