Ranked #2 of 20 1995 Shiraz from McLaren Vale
96/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Still has a deep colour and is full and robust, in the zone and a superb glass of full-bodied red wine. Layers of matured complexity with plenty of fruit still evident, the tannins smooth and supple. Outstanding wine, and the perfect wine with which to toast D'Arry Osborn who died a few days before this, aged 95.
Tasted: 25/12/2022
Drink: N/A
94 Points James Halliday
Dense and youthful purple-red; a very concentrated bouquet, with powerful, dense and ripe juicy berry fruit with appropriate oak. The palate, too, is very powerful, with masses of dark berry fruit and more new oak evident than on the bouquet, but by no means overdone. Finishes with persistent but soft tannins. Drink to 2010.
James Halliday. June, 2021
The red wines are all exuberantly fruity, cleanly made rich wines. Among the more limited edition offerings are several wines that represent some of d'Arenberg's finest parcels, all of which are basket-pressed. The Dead-Arm Shiraz is an old vine Shiraz cuvee that is fermented in oak barrels and raised in mostly new American oak. It is a sexy, flashy, flamboyant Shiraz that is short on restraint, but big on screaming fruit. The 1995 Dead-Arm Shiraz exhibits an opaque purple color, as well as a fabulous nose of ripe, late harvest-like, plummy, blackberry fruit, and cassis. Viscous, thick, and rich, with layers of flavor, low acidity, and sexy new oak, this lusty-styled Shiraz should drink well for at least a decade.
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate