The Auswine Forum

Ontario is about to hold one of its vary rare (because of our provincial liquor monopoly) wine auctions.

The only Australian wine on offer in any quantity is Dead Arm (which worries me a little – everyone trying to off load a cult wine which they don’t care for?)

Below I set out the offerings and suggested prices.
1. What years are truly good?
2. How do the prices compare (even in $AUD?)

450 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2001
6 bts. (oc) per lot $1,100 - $1,300


488 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 1998 (2)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 1999 (4)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2000 (2)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2001 (4)
12 bts. per lot $1,400 - $1,700



607 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 1998
6 bts. (oc) per lot $600 - $700


608 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 1999 (1)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2000 (3)
4 bts. per lot $300 - $400


d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2000 (3)
4 bts. per lot $300 - $400

609 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2001
6 bts. (oc) per lot $1,100 - $1,300

610 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2002
6 bts. (oc) per lot $400 - $500

1198 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2001 (6)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2002 (3)
9 bts. per lot $1,300 - $1,600

1198 d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2001 (6)
d’Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2002 (3)
9 bts. per lot $1,300 - $1,600

The estimated prices are pretty outrageous...

Look here for Aus auction prices on the Dead Arm: http://www.langtons.com.au/Tools/PriceG ... rodId=4529

Hold on a minute. I'm sure that as recently as two years ago I saw that the LCBO (Liquor Contol Board of Ontario) was selling the Dead Arm for about C$40 a bottle. In Alberta, where the retail trade has been privatized, the Dead Arm was being priced at about C$60. I would think twice before paying that kind of money. You can find plenty of good Australian shiraz for much less.

For your information, here in Sydney, you can find the Dead Arm for about A$50 per bottle. Recently, I had a bottle of the 1998 Dead Arm and although it hadn't been very well cellared it was still years too young. Despite an hour or so in the decanter it was fairly closed, the palate tight and tannic. I wouldn't have opened it but it was a bottle that I had gifted five years ago but the dinner guests thought it was reason enough to open it. Back then I opted to get three bottles of the 1998 Tim Adams Aberfeldy for A$100 instead of the Dead Arm at A$50 each. I still have the Aberfeldys in Canada so I still don't know if I made the right decision.

Cheers.................Mahmoud.

PS: the Canadian dollar is about 15% dearer than the Australian dollar.

i bought my 98 dead arm for $41 NZ. Thats about $5.50 Australian