The d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz is a vivid expression of McLaren Vale’s unique terroir and the Osborn family’s century-old winemaking craft. The story starts with the winery itself—one of Australia’s oldest family-owned estates, tended by four generations of Osborns since 1912. Chester Osborn, the current visionary winemaker, blends deep respect for tradition with a modern flair, crafting wines that carry both personality and pedigree.

The name “Dead Arm” is far from morbid—it’s a nod to an intriguing vine disease caused by the fungus Eutypa lata. This condition affects vines worldwide, causing one ‘arm’ or branch to die back, while the other side continues to produce fruit. The dead arm is brittle and lifeless, but the surviving arm yields fewer grapes with extraordinary concentration and intensity. Rather than being a flaw, this phenomenon creates grapes that pack a flavour punch, giving the Dead Arm Shiraz its distinctive richness and depth.

At d’Arenberg, sustainability and tradition walk hand in hand. Every vineyard is certified organic or biodynamic, encouraging resilient root systems and exceptional fruit quality. The winery operates under Sustainable Winegrowing Australia guidelines, using solar power and reducing waste with smart packaging choices. This ensures the Osborn legacy and their land remain vibrant for generations to come.

Winemaking is a tactile, artisanal affair here. Small batches are gently crushed and transferred to open-top fermenters where natural yeasts begin their work. The grapes undergo foot treading—yes, winemaking with bare feet!—which extracts subtle tannins and texture with a delicate hand. After fermentation, the wine is basket pressed and aged in a combination of new and used French oak barriques. With no fining or filtration, the wine maintains a pure, complex profile that truly reflects its vineyard origins.

100% Shiraz. On the nose, it’s earthy and alluring, with dark fruits, fennel, and baking spices unfolding into sweeter berries and forest-floor aromas. The palate is dense and concentrated, blending plum, blackberry, mulberry, and savory notes like black olive and iodine. Despite its richness, the wine finishes with a surprising lift of spicy pepper and finely textured tannins that linger long after the last sip.

This is a particularly good Dead Arm, its alcohol miraculously the same as the '14, but however that may be, it has an elegance to its mouthfeel and lingering finish. ~96 James Halliday

Black cherries and black olives mark the nose of the 2015 The Dead Arm Shiraz, d'Arenberg's flagship bottling. It's a blend of older and younger vines from different sites, depending on what the fruit has to offer. Full-bodied, concentrated and firmly structured, it's nevertheless velvety on the long finish, picking up hints of licorice and tarragon. It should be approachable sooner than The Coppermine Road Cabernet, but it still deserves a couple of years in the cellar. ~96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2015 Dead Arm is a great and formidable wine. It is packed with deeply concentrated dark-plum and blackberry aromas and flavors. There is a streak of red, spicy, smoky and meaty complexity, as well as a genius fusion of power and elegance. Best from 2022. Screw cap. ~94 James Suckling

A great opportunity to enjoy an aged release of a topnotch McLaren Vale Shiraz, at a price that many current releases exceed. Great colour here, despite the age – deep, dark reds. Notes of aniseed, tobacco leaves, black fruits, soy, espresso and chocolate are evident. The wine appears to be still very youthful and vibrant, and it seems to really need even more time, over which, expect it to continue to improve. An attractive wine, well balanced and with abundant tannins, all rather fine. Showing impressive length in a fine style, this still has a good ten years ahead of it. ~94 Winepilot

Osborn describes 2015 as the gutsiest vintage of recent years. The grapes were picked between 10 February and 25 March. Imposing tannins frame a concentrated core of blackberry and currant fruit, with a bitter chocolate edge. Earth, kelp, fennel seed and liquorice notes amp up the savouriness. Finishes firm, the tannins a touch gruff. Needs time to resolve, when it may well warrant a higher score. This one's a keeper. ~92 Decanter

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