2018 The Armagh Shiraz

This has attractive dark peaches, red cherries, blood oranges and really exotic fruit aromas with such an expressive nose that is swathed in fragrant spices. The palate has strongly defined dark plums and blackberries and mouthwateringly intense dark cherries. Super succulent and deeply flavored with silky, gently sinewy, young-tannin muscle. A great Armagh for sure. Try from 2028 and drink over the following two decades. Screw cap. (James Suckling)

“A marathon, not a sprint. The cooler weather meant a long hang time for the fruit, leading to full phenological ripeness. What I love about the 2017 The Armagh is that it is a perfect union of concentration and intensity with delicacy and refinement... the very essence of our winemaking principles.”
Tom Barry, Winemaker & Owner

History

It was Jim Barry’s drive and community spirit that helped shape South Australia’s Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world class Riesling and cemented its place as one of Australia’s premier wine regions.
Jim Barry Wines has a strong lineage. Jim himself was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating with the 17th Degree in Oenology from the famous Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Working for 22 years as winemaker at the Clarevale Co-operative, Jim Barry became a pioneer of Australian table wine. He then went on to establish Taylors Wines in 1969.
Wife, Nancy, proved a driving force in the formation of Jim Barry Wines and sons, Peter, Mark & John were involved in the company’s rise. Peter Barry became managing director in 1985.
Today Peter’s children Tom, Sam and Olivia work for Jim Barry Wines as winemaker, commercial manager and brand ambassador respectively. Current custodian’s, Peter & Sue Barry, are deeply proud that Jim Barry Wines is still family owned, with three generations of Roseworthy graduates.
The Barry family name is synonymous with the Clare wine region and their deep ties to the local community continue to this day.

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.
About the Armagh vineyard

The Armagh Shiraz has achieved extraordinary success and is regarded as one of Australia’s highest quality wines.

The vineyard was named after the adjoining hamlet of Armagh, established by Irish settlers in 1849 and named after the lush rolling hills of their homeland. Jim Barry planted the 3.3 hectare vineyard in 1968 with Shiraz grapes.

The vineyard is planted on its own roots on grey sandy abrasive topsoil over clay subsoil and receives an average rainfall of 600 millimetres per year. Such is The Armagh vineyards suitability that minimal intervention is needed to maintain yields below 4 tonnes per hectare, which produce rich and concentrated fruit of the rare quality required to produce wines with ageing potential.

From the first vintage in 1985, The Armagh has achieved remarkable success, attaining the maximum possible rating of ‘Exceptional’ in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine.

Third year for The Armagh on the Place de Bordeaux, and it's an exceptional vintage, packed full of fragrant aromatics and plump, seductive, spiced and nuanced black cherry and damson fruit. Grilled sandalwood oak, firm tannins, plenty of black chocolate shavings, mandarin peel, the stone fruits edge of fully ripe Shiraz (almost as if it has been vinified with Viognier), tempered by sage and freshly cut rosemary herbs. This grabs you and stretches out through the palate. From a superb vineyard planted in 1968 by Jim Barry, with low yields of around 27hl/h (equivalent to less than two tonnes per acre), this is exceptional, with decades ahead of it. I suggest waiting a few years before opening, but the tannins are polished enough that you don't have to if you are prepared to give it a good long carafe. Made by Peter and Tom Barry. Sandy-gravel soils. 75% new oak, mainly 300l with a few 500l, unfined and unfiltered. Tom Barry winemaker.
98/100 Jane Anson