The Dead Arm Shiraz

The flagship of the d'Arenberg estate, Dead Arm takes its name from a fungal disease caused by Eutypta lata, which can affect vineyards randomly all over the world. The vines are opften infected down one side, reducing that side to withered brittle dead wood, whilst grapes are still produced on the other side, albeit with a reduced yield. This yield reduction gives the same outcome as pruning and green harvesting combined, with the harvest being fewer bunches of more concentrated grapes.

The Dead Arm is made from grapes harvested by the old affected vines, fermented in open fermented before foot-treading when fermentation is around two-thirds completed. The wine is then transferred to a mix of old and new French and American oak barrels to complete fermentation. The wine is kept on lees for its 22 moth barrel aging to maintain freshness and moderate oakiness. The wine is bottled after blending without fining or filtration.