I don’t have a lot of Dead Arm in my cellar and this was the lone 1996. Bouquet showed strong vanilla, obvious formic acid and blackberry.

Loads of powdery tannins, youthful acid and deeply seated intensely powerful fruit makes me wish I either had not open this wine for a few years more or had additional stock in the cellar.

Cherry, blackcurrant and chocolate with underlying aniseed tailing off to mint that finishes long. A full bodied wine that’s very well made and most enjoyable, it’s rated as Excellent and that rating may even improve as it matures.