Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz 2019

The late Jim Barry was a pioneer of Australian table wine, graduating with the 17th diploma in winemaking in Australia. He went on to become the first qualified winemaker to work in the Clare Valley of South Australia and with his wife, Nancy, built a successful wine business, which has produced trophy-winning wines since its establishment in 1959. Today, the custodian of Jim Barry Wines is their second son Peter, who joined the family winery in 1977 and now works along side his own sons, Tom and Sam. The Barry family name is synonymous with the Clare wine region. The Barry family believe that great wine is made in the vineyard and as such, are committed to owning their own vineyards. This control allows them to develop outstanding fruit quality and flavour which are then retained during winemaking. Over the last 60 years the family has worked to establish a mosaic of sites - 17 vineyards covering 320 hectares in the Clare Valley and two vineyards covering 35 hectares in the Coonawarra. Each unique in soil profile, climate, aspect and elevation.

The name of ‘Armagh’ was bestowed by the original Irish settlers the McRae family who arrived in 1849 and named the lush, rolling hills after their homeland. In 1968 the vineyard was planted by Jim Barry and yields less than two tonnes per acre. The soil is sandy gravel and receives an average rainfall of 600mm per year. The vineyard lies on a north-west facing slope which acts as a natural sun trap, ensuring the fruit is always fully ripened when picked. The first vintage released was the 1985, which was released in 1989.

Crimson red with a magenta hue in the glass. The nose shows intense, fragrant aromas of ripe black fruits, figs, apricot and wet stone with graphite notes. The palate opens with wet stone, ripe berries, coiled tannins and graphite. As the wine opens and relaxes it shows more black fruits and oak, laced with wet stone. A wine of enormous complexity and longevity. 

Individual blocks from within the Armagh vineyard (pl 1968). This is a big, savoury, meaty shiraz with layers and layers of concentrated purple fruits, hung deli meat, salted licorice, heirloom tomatoes, Amaro herbs, freshly grated nutmeg, bay leaf and clove. The magical thing about this wine, is actually not the flavours themselves (although impressive), but the way they spool out over the palate and through the extremely long, seemingly interminable finish. It is unfailingly consistent, the tannins fine and omnipresent... the whole package densely, and patiently unfurls in the mouth. The wine is a masterpiece. Forever awaits. - Halliday Wine Companion, 97 Points.

The vineyard that the fruit for this iconic Australian wine is sourced from was planted in 1968, giving us the benefit of over 50 years of vine age— a very good thing when we consider fruit tannin and concentration. In addition to the vineyard placement and vine age, Clare Valley benefits from a wide-ranging array of elevation (190 meters to 610 meters) with high diurnal range. All of this means ripe wines, tense wines, and powerful wines, which just about sums up Clare Valley. So, to this wine: The 2019 The Armagh Shiraz is complex, layered and spiced, with a multitude of hung deli meats and small goods packed in alongside the purple fruits and exotic spice. The wine is supple, for all the power, and unfurls over a long finish to show the muscle and might of this iconic wine. In a vertical of four vintages (2016, 2017, 2018 and this 2019), this has the second-highest alcohol of the lot, at 14.1%, showing that concentration and density doesn't have to come at the expense of finesse. I love this. - Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, 97 Points.

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Clare Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.1%