Outstanding Langtons Classification, one of Australia's most revered red wines, highly sought by enthusiasts around the globe. Named after a notorious vine blight which strikes fear into the heart of viticulturalists around the world, Darenberg's construct of Dead Arm Shiraz is an aberration of ancient, truncated, gap toothed vines which date back to 1912. A powerful red wine, vinified from the most intensely flavoured hand picked fruit, renowned by enthusiasts throughout the world, it remains one of Australia's most accessible, great icon wines.

$7499each $899DOZEN EACH DOZEN Walking the old vineyards and tasting grapes, Chester Osborn classifies and determines the ideal time to pick each row. Small batches are crushed and transferred to fermenters. When tannin extraction is just right the wine is basket pressed and filled to oak for completion. Ferments are aged with a view to keep the wine fresh while also reducing oak influence. Chester undertakes an extensive barrel tasting to determine the assemblage. Batches are matured eighteen months on gross sedimentery lees in a selection of new and seasoned French and American oak barriques. Dead Arm isbottled unfined and unfiltered, which may result in a harmless bottle deposit, decanting is advised.

Deep scarlet colour. Sweet fruits on the bouquet, the nose appears all about cedar, peat, fresh turned soil, ironstone, fennel and cured meats. A raft of black and purple fruits, blackberry, satsuma plum, blackcurrant, liquorice and sweet beetroot. Initially earthy and savoury, slowly giving way to sweeter and spicier fruits. The mouthfeel is very sleek and focused, it's all about style, savouriness and poise.

McLaren Vale was planted to Grenache long ago, when pioneers established plots of vine on their homestead farms. Grenache became rather unfashionable towards the middle of the twentieth century, Chester Osborn had the vision to acquire many of these overgrown and abandoned bush vineyards. To the layman's eye, they still look like derelict old sites, but they yield precious harvests of the most outstanding fruit. A concentrated wine with depth and complexity, oozing lozenges of winegum and prettily perfumed purple fruits.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN There are no secrets at d'Arenberg, each grape must be the finest that McLaren Vale can produce and all wines are made by hand, to the most exacting standards under the meticulous scrutiny of Chester Osborn. The aim is to make the most generously proportioned, brilliantly balanced wines, supported by sound structure and just the right amount of oak. Small batches are gently crushed and fermented, basket pressed and filled to a selection of well seasoned French and American barriques for completion, aged on lees, assembled and finished without fining or filtration.

Bright garnet red. Vigorous Grenache perfumes, plums and blueberry, raspberries, an undercurrent of earthyness and game. Full bodied palate, generous over chalky tannins, succulent acidity, lively and mouthwatering, refinement after a term of bottle age, smoothing edges whilst maintaining youthful appeal. The oak is totally integrated and allows the fruit characters to star, will go perfectly with juicy steak or gourmandise game.

Darenberg's neighbours built a dam in 1992 which collected little water throughout the first dry winter. Rains arrived the following year but the dam was still unable to do its job, bad news for McLaren Vale farmers but perfect conditions for Darenberg's low yielding vines. Dry grown Riesling makes the most engaging wine, you'll enjoy the heady yet delicate personality, it promises an even greater range of refined characters as you sip and savour alongside the freshest fishes or sophisticated gourmandise.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Bright citrus hues. A sparklingly clean and aromatic bouquet, teeming with white flowers and granny smith, backed by a lovely core of lemon and lime. The sweetness on the palate is tempered by a sustained seam of perfectly pitched acidity. A sherbet like note, not a hint of metallic hardness, the mouthfeel is so refined and balanced and truly has settled into itself in record time.

Joseph Rowe Osborn was born in 1852, he was a lay preacher, mining speculator, public servant, teetotaler and local politician. Osborn joined Thomas Hardy & Sons in 1881, eventually becoming a partner and director. He invested in a chestnut colt which won a fortune at the races and changed his life forever. Footbolt was the first wine in McLaren Vale to be labelled as Old Vine. When the moniker became common practice it was altered to commemorate the racehorse which played a pivotal role in the establishment of d'Arenberg.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN Joseph Osborn purchased the nascent McLaren Vale Milton Vineyards in 1912. Components of today's Footbolt Shiraz are still sourced off the original vines acquired by Osborn a century ago. Small batches are passed through a gentle open roller crusher, some berries remain whole, followed by transfer to five tonnes headed down open fermenters. When tannin extraction is just right, the wine is basket pressed and filled to a mixture of new and older American and French oak barriques and large casks for completion of ferments and malolactic. Barrels are aged for a year on lees to keep the wine fresh and reduce influence of oak, remaining unracked until the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined.

Deep bright scarlet colour. Enticing mix of red and black fruits, mulberries and ripe blackberry, exotic spice supports the fruit, nutmeg and cinnamon, anise and clove, it wouldn’t be Footbolt without that generous lick of d’Arenberg earth and game. On the palate the wine is rich, concentrated and generous, an intrinsic warmth, the dark plummy fruit, leather and cedar notes, soily tannins with a hint of chewiness, pulls it all together for a long, gratifying finish.

The Garagists are bespoke Bordeaux winemakers who work in their garage, outside of the Appellation Controlee system. Grapes are vinified in the shed or garage of boutique winemakers dedicated to making small volume wines of the highest quality. These limited editions are unclassified by the governing wine authorities, yet are often the most sought after, highly priced collectibles in the world. d'Arenberg make their wines in the very same small batch manner, processing fruit by hand in an old galvanised garage shed winery. Grab a Galvo and serve to gigot of goat.

$3299each $395DOZEN EACH DOZEN The complex Bordeaux cepage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Each component is gently crushed in an ancient Demoisy open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher so that as many berries as possible remain whole. The must is transferred to open fermenters where seeds and skins are kept submerged beneath the free run juice, vinified without any plunging or pumpovers and treated to a traditional foot treading and basket press. The combined free run and pressings are transferred to barrel for completetion of ferments and malolactic. Components are aged eighteen months in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques before assemblage.

A deeply coloured wine. Lifted nose, fragrant and inviting, cassis and blueberry, tomato vine and herb leafy earthiness. Savoury, spicy and elegant, rhubarb fruit spectrum, a subtle violet nuance and savoury elements of dark chocolate and dried herbs. There is no explosion of fruit, but rather an elegant and gradual building of complexity with persistent mineral, chalky tannins providing authoritative, balanced structure.

The close proximity of d'Arenberg's vineyards to Gulf St. Vincent means the grapes can be stimulated by gently cooling maritime breezes. Much of McLaren Vale is planted to free draining soils underlaid by limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of local marine fauna. One such creature was the Hermit Crab, a reclusive little crustacean that to this day inhabits the cast off shells of others. McLaren Vale's first ever Marsanne Viognier is named Hermit as a reference to the region in France where the Marsanne grape dominates white wines.

$1999each $239DOZEN EACH DOZEN At vintage time, Chester Osborn chooses when to pick the fruit by walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes. Parcels of Viognier and Marsanne are crushed and settled before being treated to a gentle basket pressing which ensures the soft extraction of delicate but defined fruit characters of each grape. The Viognier and Marsanne components receive a similar vinification but are handled separately until the final stages. Fermentations are long and moderately cool to retain fresh fruit flavour. A small percentage of the Viognier is fermented in aged French and American oak barrels to add mouth feel and support the Viognier tannins. Components are assembled after a few months maturation.

Brilliant hue with light tints. Wonderfully aromatic, heavenly lift of candied ginger and crunchy, sweet white nectarine, complex Marsanne notes of green papaya and pistachio. Stone fruits hold sway over the sumptuous attack and mid palate, nuttiness of Marsanne and a delicate hint of sea spray. The complete package of stone fruits and spice before a long savoury finish make Hermit Crab the perfect dinner party starter.

The High Trellis paddock has been yielding the most splendid vintages of wine since the late 19th century, so nicknamed as the vines were the first to be trained above knee height following acquisition of the property by dArenberg. For decades, High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon has been released to unanimous critical acclaim by the wine industry press and international cognoscente. Indeed, the inaugural 1968 vintage earned a place in history when it claimed Australia's most prestigious accolade, the highly coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Small batches are crushed in the Demoisy open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher and transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters, parcels are vinified separately. Foot treading is undertaken followed by gentle basket pressing. Transferred to a mixture of oak casks to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The barrel fermented component is aged on lees for added complexity with no racking until final blending. Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final assemblage. High Trellis is unexposed to fining or filtration, aged up to twenty months in a combination of new and older French and American oak barriques and large casks.

Deep, bright red. Lifted nose, fresh and full of violets, blackcurrant and leafy notes, oak supplies a touch of cedar, adding complexity to the soulful earthiness. The palate is textured and lithe, coated by lacy tannins around a core of cassis, licorice and plum fruit mixed with earth and graphite before a mineral tail. It's well weighted, fresh and balanced, inviting now, like all d'Arenberg wines, decanting will help show its best.

d'Arenberg's love affair with Grenache reaches its pinnacle with Ironstone Pressings. The original block planted in 1918, on the lower side of the winery, has a plentiful amount of ironstone throughout the soil structures, which enhances the body and tannin structure of the wine. As the finished wine is a cepage of three grapes it is a matter of selecting and screening the very best Grenache barrels. They complement the Dead Arm Shiraz component which likewise complements the 28 Rd Mourvedre portion to a point where the Grenache is beautifully framed.

$7299each $875DOZEN EACH DOZEN Most of McLaren Vale's soils are impregnated with ancient, decomposed laterite granite known as ironstone. The larger pieces were cleared from vineyards in the late 1880s and utilized in many of the buildings at d'Arenberg. Small batches of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourverdre are separately passed through a rubber toothed crusher into open fermenters. Some parcels are tread by foot two thirds of the way through. When tannin extraction is just right, the wines are basket pressed into oak for the completion of ferments and malolactic. Components are matured on lees in a combination of seasoned and new French oak barriques before assembling into the final wine.

Brilliant, gleaming red. Dark fruits, mulberr and plum nose, fresh soil and peat over an underlying lick of exotic Indian spice. An abundance of fresh fruits on the palate marry well with the more complex characters of cinnamon and quince, nutmeg, star anise and earthy beetroot. Open and generous upon release, lively acidity and the abundance of fine gritty tannins. Unfiltered and unfined, a harmless deposit may form in the bottle.

The vineyards and bushland which surround d'Arenberg winery are home to the native black and white kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call. Much to the amusement of the winemaker's family, Chester Osborn's daughters, Alicia and Ruby, named their two wild pet kookaburras the laughing magpies. A good branding for McLaren Vale's first ever combination of the black Shiraz grape with the sweetly perfumed white Viognier. Declassified parcels of the icon Dead Arm Shiraz are assembled into the final Magpie mix.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN Very concentrated ripe bunches of Shiraz and Viognier are gently crushed into the patented Demoisy open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher, then co-fermented together in good old fashioned headed down open fermenters, where they are treated to a traditional foot treading by wader clad feet. After a fortnight the musts are gently basket pressed through an ancient 19th Century Coq & Bromley and Tregoning press, followed by a transfer to a selection of French and American oak barriques for completion of ferments and maturation. Offcuts of Dead Arm Shiraz are selected from oak and included into the assemblage to balance the level of Viognier in the final Magpie.

Very dark crimson hue. Intense aromas, a floral mix of peach stone, jasmine and cranberry over dark maraschino cherries, star anise and spiced fruit cake. The palate is fully flavoured with ripe juicy soft mouthfilling flavours suggesting beetroot juice, blueberries, blackcurrant and red cherries with herbaceous edges that keep the palate in check. Oak is showing lovely cedary notes which compliment the fragrant, silky mineral tannins.

D'Arenberg planted McLaren Vale's first Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. The first crop was found to be covered in a sea of tiny Money Spiders Erigoninae. Popular belief is that kindness to these active little creatures will bring good luck, hopefully in the form of money. Being nature lovers and slightly superstitious, the staff refrained from sending spiders to their death. Hence the first Roussanne was not released until the following year, by which time Money Spiders had learned their lesson and moved to bushland surrounding the vines.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN D'Arenberg are one of the last remaining wineries to basket press their wines. This gentle method of squeezing juice protects the delicate white grapes. The winemaking processes of the past have been maintained, capturing the unique small batch character and the true expression of McLaren Vale. Tasting the Rousanne in the vineyard, Chester Osborn chooses to pick when grapes are fully ripe to encourage good varietal stone fruit flavours. Back at the d'Arenberg wineworks, grapes are gently crushed and transferred to basket presses. Fermentations are long and moderately cool to retain fruit characters. Only free run juices are used for the final wine, unoaked and without any malolactic.

Brilliant mid straw hue. An array of stonefruit and tropical notes through to nuttiness and an ever so delicate hint of Indian spice, Asian salad, ginger, mango and papaya. Rich, textural mouthfeel, delivers a generous mouthfeel oozing with luscious mango, honeydew melon and jasmine leaf, finishing long with tang and spice. Pairs particularly well with antipasto, fatty fish and white meat dishes.

You'll see plenty of olive trees alongside the d'Arenberg roadsides, flourishing among the vines. McLaren Vale is littered with olive groves which were planted by the first settlers. While neighbouring table grape growers consider olive trees a nuisance, local winemakers are thankful for the bittersweet nuances which the tiny green stonefruits impart to the wine. Chester Osborn determines the critical time of picking his Chardonnay, which is treated to wild ferments and lees stirring, for a rich textural wine with savoury aromas and good palate complexity.

$1999each $239DOZEN EACH DOZEN McLaren Vale makes buxom, fleshy white varietal wines of structure and balance. The Adelaide Hills yield a brisk style of Chardonnay with penetrating fruit characters and crisp stonefruit acidity. Under the insistence of chief winemaker Chester Osborn, each components is separately handled. Parcels are crushed and cold soaked on skins at 2C for a day prior to basket pressing, gentle extraction of juices are critical to retain delicate fruit characters. Batches are fermented and matured in a mixture of French and American oak for seven months, bottled immediately upon completion for optimal retention of fresh, natural acidity, so integral to the balance and longevity of the wine.

Pale straw hues. Attractive array of nectarine and granny smith, vanilla, spice and mildly roasted nuts. The palate has an initial hit of creaminess, quite strong in stone fruit and white flowers. Mid palate reverts to a more streamline shape as seaspray and nutty nuances emerge. The finish is long and dry, with just a whisper of vanillan, a lovely modern style of Chardonnay.

From parcels of Chambourcin grapes, hand picked off a block of vine that's surrounded by a growth of peppermint gum trees. Traditionally, Peppermint Paddock has always been difficult to cultivate and vines have struggled. Unfazed by the challenging microclime, Chambourcin has thrived. A unique hybrid grape that's known for its robustness, the Chambourcin vines of Peppermint Paddock are often left unirrigated, quite happy to perform on their own, dry grown rootstock. An astonishing amount of flavour, exquisitely balanced, a truly mesmerising effervescent red wine.

$3099each $371DOZEN EACH DOZEN Looking out from d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, Peppermint Paddock slopes south down the hillside. Chester d'Arenberg thought that Chambourcin, would work well on the lean soils and replanted the site in 1989. Each batch of fruit is gently crushed to retain as many whole berries as possible. The musts are transferred to open fermenters where the skins are permanently submerged. Batches are vinified for up to a fortnight without any plunging or pumpovers. Ferments are treated to a session of foot treading and basket pressed. A portion of vintage fortified Shiraz is included in the final assemblage to add richness, to infuse the palate with plum chocolate complexity and contribute a measure of pepper spice.

Deep vibrant crimson purple mousse, a fine persistent bead. Freshly crushed grape nose, lifted aromas are dominated by a full range of summer pudding notes, sarsaparilla, blackcurrant leaf and boysenberry jam. Refreshing medium bodied palate, juicy raspberry and mulberry flavours. A wine of extraordinary length, rich sweet flavours and gorgeous, chewy tannins.