A bargain. The original d’Arenberg red and in classic form. Career-best form. Labuschagne form. Red fruits aplenty, as usual, and carries plenty of that tilled earth d’Arenberg savouriness, the plusher Shiraz lifting up the tannic palate. It’s both chewy and plush and packed with character for $20. BBQ’s are made for this. Best drinking: now to ten years. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $20. Would I buy it? Worth a bottle.
Andrew Graham was once voted the 23rd most trusted wine critic on the planet. A WCA Journalism Young Gun now old hack with 25yrs as a buyer, judge, journalist, marketer and too much more.
I’m glad that d’Arenberg is still doing a good job with d’Arry’s Original, what with all the different shirazes and grenaches thay have come out with. One might have thought that all those new labels would take something away from this basic bottling – well I certainly wondered. Anyway, this sounds nice and I might give it go if I find it here in Canada at a fair price. Right now I’m sitting on a few of the ’99s and a magnum of the 2000. Oh dear, I just realised that I should have tried the 1999 last year, at the 20 year mark.
Worth cracking it to see how it’s travelling. May well be still alive.
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