2016 Jim Barry Shiraz The Armagh (750ml)

Shiraz from Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia

B-21 Top Recommendation
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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 a large cooperative, Jim Barry became a pioneer of Australian table wine. He then went on to establish Taylors Wines in 1969. His 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 custodians 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 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 8 acre 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 20 inches per year. Such is The Armagh vineyards suitability that minimal intervention is needed to maintain very low yields yields below 4 tons per hectare, which produce rich and concentrated fruit of the rare quality required to produce wines with aging potential. From the first vintage in 1985, The Armagh has achieved remarkable success and has become highly collectable.

99JS

97WA

Wow. This is a bold, brassy shiraz that carries a wealth of very intense aromas of ripe blackberries, dark plums, licorice and sweetly spiced earth. Still so very youthful and primary. The palate is so powerful, so mouth-filling and so, so juicy. This manages to deliver such intensity and composure. Supple, long and deep-set tannins and heroically expressive fruit. Really impressive now, but this will deliver much more over the next two decades. One of the finest releases to date.

99 points, James Suckling (Jun 2020)

My pick of the recently bottled vintages, the 2016 The Armagh Shiraz shows a bit more obvious oak (simply because of its youth) but also a wonderful taut tension between ripeness and acidity. The fruit here is a bit redder in profile, leaning more toward raspberries than blackberries, while still being fully ripe. Full-bodied and supple, it finishes cedary, intense and long, adding in complex, lingering spice notes.

97 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Feb 2020)

Alcohol By Volume: 14.2%

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$219.98

30 bottles in stock. Ships in 1 to 2 business days.

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