D’ARENBERG THE DEAD ARM SHIRAZ MCLAREN VALE

Since 1912 The Osborn Family Have Tended Vineyards In McLaren Vale, South Australia.Today Fourth Generation Family Member Chestar Makes Distinctive Wines Using Traditional Method Both In The Vineyard And The Winery.

These Low Yielding, Old Vines Are Picked In Small Parcels And Remain Separate Until Final Blending. Small Batches Of Grapes Are Gently Crushed And Then Transferred To Five tonne Headed Down Open Fermenters. Foot Treading Is Undertaken Two Thirds Of The Way Through Fermentation. The Wine is Then Basket Pressed And Transferred To A Mixture Of New And Used Oak Barriques To Complete Fermentation. The Barrel Ferments Are Aged On Lees, There Is No Racking Until Final Blending And No Fining Or Filtration.

Dead Arm Is A Vine Disease Caused By The Fungus Eutypa Lata That Randomly Affects Vineyards All Over The World. One Half, Or An 'Arm' Of The Vine Slowly Becomes Reduced To Dead Wood. That Side May Be Lifeless And Brittle, But The Grapes On The Other Side Display Amazing Intensity.