Dense, with toothsome tannins that add a firm background to tangy blackberry and blueberry flavors, with notes of crushed rock and fresh earth, spices, tobacco and toasted cedar. Firming finish, where strong laurel bay leaf and sage accents linger. Drink now through 2030. 2,100 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

Powerful, with concentrated juicy cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry flavors at the core amid tobacco notes and dusty tannins, plus a thread of crushed rock, fresh herb, and fresh, earthy loaminess. Plenty of harmony on the finish, where the tannins firm up. Drink now through 2030. 2,100 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

Locked up tight and ungiving on the nose, d'Arenberg's 2017 The Dead Arm Shiraz is nonetheless formidably dense and concentrated on the palate. Notes of charred wood join plums, raspberries and black olives in this full-bodied effort. With its current surly disposition, it appears to require decanting or several years' sleep in a cool cellar. Giving it air helped bring out purple raspberries and softened the considerable tannins, so I'm optimistic about its future evolution.

Dark and concentrated, featuring rustic blackberry flavors and notes of tar, black pepper and tobacco, accented by a hint of leather. Spicy and firm on the finish, with chewy tannins. Drink now through 2036. 2,100 cases imported.??–MW??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

The deeply colored, intensely extracted 2016 The Dead Arm Shiraz boasts gentle cedary aromas underlain by brooding dark berries. Rich, concentrated and full-bodied, it's densely textured and packed with notes of blackberries, asphalt, black olives and dried spices. The oak is always in the background and actually adds an element of freshness to a wine that might otherwise seem heavy. The wine's considerable tannins are fine-grained and should soften nicely with age, as they already turn almost silky on the finish. Cellar this outstanding effort for 3-4 years and drink it over the next couple of decades.