Australian Red Wine

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d'ARENBERG THE DEAD ARM SHIRAZ 2005

The Dead Arm Shiraz is one of d’Arenberg's ‘flagship’ wines. It is made from very best Shiraz from one of the oldest producers in arguably the best Shiraz producing region in Australia, McLaren Vale. The Dead Arm is a spectacular example of McLaren Vale Shiraz - concentrated, multi-dimensional with huge fruit, length and texture, immense balance and ageing potential.

VINEYARD
The grapes for The Dead Arm are sourced from McLaren Vale in South Australia.

d'Arenberg employs both hand and machine pruning in the vineyard to control vigour and crop levels. They also employ a minimal spray program to protect against major crop losses, and the vineyards are constantly monitored for pests and disease.

Vegetal cover crops are planted in the vineyards annually, generally in alternate rows, as well as clover and grasses, which are planted in some blocks and mown periodically.

Some of d'Arenberg's vineyards receive a limited degree of supplementary irrigation during the growing period, but the emphasis on grape growing here is to stress the vines so that they work hard and produce intensely flavoured and small- berried grapes. However, many of d'Arenberg's vineyards are dry grown, that is they do not receive any supplementary irrigation at all.

The d'Arenberg shiraz vineyards vary greatly in their soil composition. Despite their similar appellation (McLaren Vale) individual plots are markedly different due to the fact that the area features glacial deposits, beach sand and limestone.

GRAPE VARIETIES
100% Shiraz

VINIFICATION
Each batch of fruit received is gently crushed in the Demoisy open-mouthed, rubber-toothed crusher so as many of the berries as possible remain whole. After crushing, the must is transferred to open fermenters where the seeds and skins are permanently submerged beneath the free run juice. The must receives no plunging or pumping over while fermentation occurs. Once the primary fermentation is nearly complete, traditional foot-treading takes place prior to basket-pressing. The wine is then transferred to barrel to complete its primary and secondary fermentation. After 20 months every barrel is individually assessed for quality. Only the best barrels are selected to be bottled as The Dead Arm Shiraz.

TASTING NOTE
A very dark almost black appearance with a dense purple-red hue. The aroma upon opening is very intense with a complex combination of fragrant spices, red fruits, plum dark cherries, cranberry and blueberry notes with a back drop of very fine oaks, liquorice, white pepper, boot-polish and edges of parsley stalks. The taste is rich, gutsy and virile, dominated with red fruits, cherries, plums and dried black olive. The palate is very controlled, tight and has a wonderful liveliness about it. Even the tannins feel cool and silky with mineral grittiness and wonderful acidity. The length is excellent and beautifully pointed with soft red fruit flavours and spice suggests this wine will have great ability to age.

Per Bottle £23.49

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