Jim Barry - The Armagh - Clare Valley 2019
Some names resonate strongly within the halls of Australian wine history. Jim Barry is one such name.
In 1964, Jim Barry purchased 70 acres of land two kilometres northwest of Clare in South Australia. He planted a little eight-acre patch of Shiraz vines in the winter of 1968. In 1985, at a time when everyone else in Australia was betting on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, he decided to make a great Australian Shiraz, with the vision to make a wine that defined Clare. The Armagh Shiraz was born.
From the first vintage in 1985, The Armagh has achieved remarkable success and is regarded as one of Australia’s highest quality wines, attaining the maximum possible rating of ‘Exceptional’ in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine.
To learn more about Jim Barry, The Armagh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMM9SR3AwDQ
The 2019 vintage
Weather conditions
The 2019 vintage was characterised by warmer conditions through the growing season and low winter rainfall. Despite these challenges, our knowledge of the vineyard and the fifty years of vine age allowed the vines to adapt to conditions and rewarded us with a beautiful, concentrated wine, though more restrained than previous vintages. We placed particular emphasis on fruit sorting in the vineyard, to ensure the quality of the wine, although this meant that production was only 40% of an average year.
Tasting notes
The wine is a dark concentrated purple colour with layers of complexity. The dry season resulted in a fresh, supple wine, with spiced characters intertwined with savoury meats and subtle purple fruits. Fine tannins and a seemingly endless finish compliment the outstanding flavours of this powerful wine.