D Arenberg Wines

It is rumoured that the inventor of the Stump Jump plough, which enabled a ploughshare to 'jump' over tree roots (or stumps), had poor eyesight and required regular tests to ensure he could still operate machinery The design of this label is inspired by an optometrist's eyechart and serves as a makeshift sobriety test If you can hold the bottle at arm's length and still read the front label, you can enjoy another glass The nose is chock-full of fresh blackberries, cherries and dark chocolate sprinkled with spices The palate is fresh and juicy, ripe red fruits mix with plums, blackcurrant, flowers and a twist of black pepper The tannins are fine with d'Arenberg's trademark earthiness helping keep this easy going wine in check

The heady aroma is both powerful and pretty with notes of fennel, purple flowers and blossom mingling with ripe, varietal purple fruits and black pepper The oak is hardly evident which allows fruit and soil complexities to emerge with edges of rhubarb and red mulberry and savoury characters of dried herbs, game and spice The palate opens with anise, black pepper, graphite and restrained dark cherries before it gives way to seductive mulberry, plum, liquorice and spice It has great power, depth and length with very vibrant, gritty fruit tannins providing immense structure Notes of anise and spice linger for a long time after the last sip The Dead Arm 2008 strikes a rare balance of power, complexity and finesse with impressive structure that will reward those with patience to cellar it

The nose exhibits classic Cabernet aromatics of blackcurrant leaf, violets and cigar box with an interesting twist of cooking spice and mustard seed These lovely savoury notes are followed through onto the palate but with an underlying sweet blackcurrant and mulberry fruitiness that builds as the wine evolves in your glass The initially cedary tannins start early and give the wine incredible length An intriguing fennel note starts adds freshness and lift to the long and lingering finish

On the nose are lifted aromas of dark fruits, plums, mulberries with a hint of black cherries Fresh soil is also apparent, with an underlying note of exotic Indian spice The palate shows mulberries, black pepper and ripe plums, before a strong, lingering dark cherry spice meld with the more complex characters of quince paste, nutmeg and cinnamon

"This is a wine of great presence, loaded with classic Cabernet Sauvignon characters of cassis, plums, cedar, red pepper and violets Despite the depth and complexity of the fruit, the palate remains true to Cabernet form, providing a sleek mouthfeel framed by a long line of fine, chalky tannins Powerful, aromatic, persistent and charming all at once While this wine offers enough fruit to be enjoyed in youth, expect five to eight further years of careful cellaring to enhance its overall quality and enjoyment "

d'Arenberg planted Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne in the mid 1990's, and the first crop of Roussanne from the 2000 vintage was covered in a sea of tiny "Money Spiders" (Erigoninae) Popular belief is that kindness to these little creatures will bring good luck, hopefully in the form of money Being a nature-lover and slightly superstitious, Chester refrained from sending the spiders to their death Hence the first release of Roussanne was from the 2001 vintage, by which time the Money Spiders had learned their lesson and moved from the vineyard to the surrounding bushland The nose exhibits a whole array of characters from stone fruits and tropical notes through to nuttiness and an ever so delicate hint of Indian spice The palate is robust! A luscious mix of pulpy fruit, green mango and papaya These full flavours gently give way to honey blossom nuances and savoury pistachio notes which linger to a very long finish, adding refinement to the palate

Delightful Summer sip, Sangiovese based that brings a pristine salmon-pink rose colour Fresh red berries on the nose are followed by sunny red-fruit flavours like strawberries, raspberries, cherries and watermelon The fresh fruit is lifted by a hint of sea spray bringing a vibrant freshness The finish is light and easy to enjoy

Riesling gives the finesse and class to this wine, Sauvignon Blanc adds loads of aromatics, and the Marsanne and Roussanne provide complexity, weight and nuttiness to the palate The resulting wine is an exotic mix of citrus, stone fruits, passionfruit, guava and tinned pineapple which develops into a long savoury, nutty like finish The mouthfeel is rich and luscious without being overly oily, kept in check by a fine line of mineral acidity

The nose exhibits classic Cabernet aromatics of blackcurrant leaf, violets and cigar box with an interesting twist of cooking spice and mustard seed These lovely savoury notes are followed through onto the palate but with an underlying sweet blackcurrant and mulberry fruitiness that builds as the wine evolves in your glass The initially cedary tannins start early and give the wine incredible length An intriguing fennel note starts adds freshness and lift to the long and lingering finish

Very aromatic to start, lifted citrus blossom mix with white peaches and nectarines Fresh and zesty on the palate, the oak lends support and gives a lovely creamy mouthfeel with texture and spice

Earthy, spicy Shiraz from McLaren Vale in South Australia, full of black plums, liquorice and black pepper, with a peaty underlayer of mushroom, pipe tobacco and charcuterie

The nose is packed with enticing fresh red fruit characters of raspberry, cherry, and pomegranate Hints of blackberry and Kalamata olive come through over time, erupting in a long and lingering palate A fine line of acid, reminiscent of tangy rhubarb, is supported by lively tannins

The nose of this wine displays an enticing mix of white stone fruits and sweet pineapple with an underlying hint of ginger The palate is luscious and flavoursome, again nectarine and peach are prominent, with a twist of candied citrus rindThese sweet flavours evolve through the palate into more savoury flavours reminiscent of raw almonds and spice A generous, textural wine with surprising finesse on the finish

Love Grass grows wildly in the vineyards surrounding the winery During vintage, the sticky, long stemmed flowers of the Love Grass affectionately attach themselves to the vineyard workers' socks They even get caught in the coat of the winery dog, Coco, and have to be brushed out by chief winemaker, Chester Osborn The additional varieties in this wine cling to Shiraz the same way that the Love Grass does, making a complex and food friendly Shiraz that is fresh and lively, black and red fruits, pepper, clove and cinnamon Ensure you take a moment to savour this wine and its complex mix of fruits evolving from tight and linear at first to rich, dark and exotic