d'Arenberg "the Dead Arm" Shiraz, 96p/Halliday 2008

2008 is beautiful after 12 years, but it is certainly not urgent! 96p + this year's wines / Hallidays Wine Companion, 92p / Galloni in Vinous etc.
The dead arm is real cult! The vines are affected by Eutypa Lata, a special fungal disease that has affected part of d'Arenberg's Shiraz. The fungus kills one of the two arms of the vine, but the other survives. Others tear them up, Chester Osborn (PHOTO) lets them stay and rejoices in the high quality gr low yield! 100% shiraz, 100% McLaren Vale, sustainable operation without fertilizer, insecticides and irrigation, fermentation in open vessels, foot threading, malolactic fermentation and storage in small oak barrels for bottling without clearance or filter. The natural methods give d'Arenberg's wines a greater freshness, intensity in fruit and balance in the acid is without the plump heavyweight feeling one can be out for in other strong Shiraz wines from Australia.
2008 is beautiful after 10 years, but it is certainly not urgent! 96p + this year's wines / Hallidays Wine Companion, 92p / Galloni i Vinous,
91p / RobertParker: Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2008 The Dead Arm Shiraz has a reduced rubber character to begin then pronounced aromas of warm blackberries, licorice, earth, thyme, moss and a whiff of game. Crisp, full and very concentrated in the mouth, it has firm, very fine tannins and a long earthy finish ". 95p + 5 * / Huon Hooke. Perfect bottle and stand - enjoyed now-2028.
And a few more words from 31.7. 2013 (ie newer tasting than the others):
"If you are in a wine store, unsure of what to buy for a spur-of-the-moment host bottle then d'Arenberg is your go-to wine. The winery makes a bunch of different wines but most have the red / yellow stripe on the label which makes them easy to identify.Quality and consistency come to mind with this brand.
Dark purple in the glass, it comes off the blocks with blueberry, plum and a hint of oak. On the initial palate, I was getting licorice and eucalyptus in addition to the fruitiness. Great acidity kept the wine on track and the tannic structure is built to last. On the back end, vanilla comes to mind as does blackberry pie. Drinking well now, it will cellar for another 10-15 years easily. We drank this with Tenderloins and salad, I can not think of a better combination. Pricey at $ 35 +, it scores well at 92 in my books and has to be a 4 star effort. Treat yourself to some really good Shiraz this summer and try a d’Arenberg. Hi… "-CasparNick's blog.