Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, from the picturesque Clare Valley, is one of Australia’s most important red wines. Its history and reputation are deeply connected to the post-war development of South Australia’s modern wine industry.This eJournal, by Andrew Caillard MW, explores the history of The Armagh including tasting notes for a full vertical stretching back to the inaugural vintage in 1985.
ANDREW CAILLARD MW
– VERTICALS –
JIM BARRY THE ARMAGH SHIRAZ
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 2 6 8
JIM BARRY AND THE ARMAGH STORY
THE CLARE VALLEY
THE ARMAGH VINEYARD
TASTING NOTES
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From left Tom Barry, Peter Barry, Sam Barry
INTRODUCTION Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, from the picturesque Clare Valley, on Ngadjury Land, is one of Australia’s most important red wines. Its history and reputation are deeply connected to the post-war development of South Australia’s modern wine industry. Its Exceptional rating in auction house Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine highlights The Armagh’s “Grand Cru” reputation and track record for cellaring. This reference claret-style wine is renowned for its powerfully expressive aromas, chocolaty richness and sinuous structure. With some years of bottle age, the elements fold in together and develop a superb inky density and vigour. Vineyard provenance, history, family ambition and generosity underpin its authenticity and appeal. The Armagh sits somewhere between the vigorous, elegantly structured and sinewy Wendouree Shiraz and the chocolaty richness of Penfolds Grange. While not barrel fermented, the plush fruit and supple richness of The Armagh is well suited to the shock of tannin (a characteristic of Clare Valley Shiraz). The opulent and muscular shiraz fruit is the driving force and the consistent theme across vintages. The tannins preserve and command, while the fruit has a luxurious density and richness. The track record of vintages show that the wines have excellent aging potential and longevity.
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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JIM BARRY AND THE ARMAGH STORY
The story of The Armagh is linked to 19th century ambitions and the post-war development of South Australia’s Clare Valley. The region’s first vineyard was planted around 1842, but a wine industry only began to flourish after 1875 with the huge export market of mostly dry red wine to England. The years between the First and Second World Wars saw significant decline, but after 1945 the Clare Valley began to prosper once again. After graduating from wine studies at Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947 with diploma number 17, Jim Barry became the first qualified oenologist to work in the region. As the winemaker for the local Clarevale Cooperative, he became friendly with the region’s small community of vignerons and grape growers, including Roly Birks at the 1896-planted Wendouree Vineyard and Brother John May at Sevenhill Cellars. Jim Barry’s circle of friends also included Ian Hickinbotham, Wolf Blass, Max Schubert, Peter Lehmann and David Wynn, who all played crucial roles in the development of South Australia’s fine wine industry. This is significant, because winemaking advances in the Clare Valley were intimately related to their shared experiences and technical skills. “While still at the co-operative, Jim Barry developed his own company and I used his crusher and winemaking facilities to produce my first Barossa Shiraz.” Vigneron Wolf Blass, who became a business partner with Jim Barry in 1964. They made and traded bulk red wine to key South Australian wine producers. In 1959, Jim Barry founded St Clare Cellars, which became Jim Barry Wines in 1982. According to Peter Barry, St Clare Cellars was only the seventh operational winery in the Clare Valley and the second to be built since 1930. Later, in 1968, he also established a joint venture with the
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Taylor’s family, Chateau Clare Estate near Auburn (now Taylor’s Wines, or Wakefield Estate in the UK). By this time, Jim Barry was a legend in the Australian wine industry, having played a pivotal role in steering the region to modernity. By the early 1980s, the region was best known for its high quality late-picked although dry rieslings, thoroughbred shirazes and classic cabernet blends. From 1983 onwards, second-generation brothers Mark, Peter and John began to develop a new direction for Jim Barry Wines by producing stylish single-vineyard wines. The release of the 1985 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz connected their father’s legacy with a future promise. Through trial and error, vineyard management, and refinements in winemaking and maturation, they developed a highly individual and instantly recognisable style. The opulent Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz and the muscular Wendouree Shiraz emerged as the leading ultra-fine red wines of the Clare Valley during the 1990s and 2000s. Although cabernet and malbec have always shown great promise, shiraz and riesling have shaped the region’s image and reputation for the last 40 years.
Family, From left Olivia Barry, Sam Barry, Peter Barry, Tom Barry
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
3
“Sometimes it takes longer than a lifetime to do a lifetime’s work … now it’s up to my children” Jim Barry
Jim Barry’s ambitions to make a wine that defined the Clare Valley were inspired by his experience, friendships and sense of belonging. Although the Armagh style has evolved through three generations, it is indelibly linked to vineyard site, traditional winemaking techniques and succession. Peter Barry, who attended Roseworthy Agricultural College, and his brother Mark, brought new technical skills and ambitions during the early 1980s and enabled their father’s vision. The references for an ultra-fine shiraz at this time were few and far between. Wendouree Shiraz was highly regarded by locals, but its fame only spread during the 1990s when the secondary wine market developed into a nation-wide market. American-oak-matured Penfolds Bin 95 Grange by then was considered by everybody as the reference Australian First Growth. For instance, the first full collection of Penfolds Grange was sold at Sydney in 1986 (without the 1951 vintage). Over the next 10 years, its trajectory in the secondary wine market was astonishing. The single- vineyard Henschke Hill of Grace followed the same arc of success in the 1990s. Jim Barry The Armagh started to hit its straps in the 2000s, during a transition period. The retirement of Mark Barry in 2002 provided Peter Barry and his sons Tom and Sam, who joined the business in 2010 and 2011 respectively, the opportunity to continue the dream. Although The Armagh style remains true to Jim Barry’s original vision, advances in viticulture, winemaking and sustainable practices have seen refinements and new outlooks.
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The introduction of new destemmers, the transition from American to French oak maturation and larger oak, including 500 litre puncheons in 2018, plus a few technical refinements to protect wine stability are probably the major differences. From 2008 onwards, The Armagh begins to show more pure fruit definition, density and structural precision. The French oak folds into the wine, rather than sitting under it. Like all great wines, there is a natural evolution that takes place with the ageing of vineyards, the transition of generations, combined experience and contemporary outlooks. With winemakers Tom and Sam Barry at the helm, The Armagh has become the wine that their grandfather Jim Barry first imagined. It possesses a distinct regional voice and signature house style.
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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THE CLARE VALLEY John Horrocks was the first white settler in the region and encouraged his servant James Green to plant the first vines in 1842 at Penwortham. Edward Burton Gleeson established a small vineyard at Inchiquin in the late 1840s, and the Jesuits at Sevenhill planted a vineyard in 1851. More vineyards appeared in the 1850s and 1860s, notably Valentine Mayr at Pomona, B. Kyiel of Rosenberg Vineyards, and Francis Treloar at Springvale (later Quelltaler). The small wine industry flourished during the 1870s with the red burgundy and claret export market to England. By 1897 the region boasted over 580 hectares of vines. The wine trade declined between 1914 and 1945, but the Clare Valley prospered once again during the 1950s and 1960s. The region comprises nowadays around 5,060 hectares of vineyards (1886 ha Shiraz, 1135 ha cabernet Sauvignon and 1056 ha riesling). Jim Barry Wines is one of the largest family-owned vignerons in the region, with over 350 ha of estate vineyards. The Clare Valley lies within the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, 140 kilometres north of Adelaide, and is the gateway to the Flinders Ranges. At its northern boundary, annual rainfall drops off dramatically at a rate of “one inch per mile”. The climate is warm to hot and dry, but moderating cool breezes funnel up through the Clare Valley’s corrugation of hills and gullies from the south during the growing season. Dry conditions during most summers promote healthy growth and very minimal disease pressure. Winter dominant rainfalls generally fill up dams and top up soil moistures. The geology of the Clare Valley belongs to the Adelaide Geosyncline, which folded into a mountain range hundreds of millions of years ago and then eroded into a corrugated range of ridges (mostly sandstone and quartzite) and valleys (siltstones, dolomites and shales). The vineyards are generally dry-grown, with precision irrigation used during drought conditions. The deep-water capacity of the valley floor has enabled vineyards to survive for over 150 years. Ancestor plantings date back to the 1850s.
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Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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THE ARMAGH VINEYARD The 28 hectare grazing property, two kilometres northwest of the Clare township, was acquired by Jim and Nancy Barry in 1964. The land, bisected by the Armagh Creek, lies on a combination of alluvial flats , rare in the Clare Valley, and gentle northwest facing slopes. Its history is also connected to the settlement of Irish settlers, including James Burton Gleeson, who was the prominent landholder in the region. The Armagh Vineyard was named after the nearby Armagh hamlet, which was established in 1849. The elevated (397 metres) Armagh Vineyard, with low fertility soils, drainage and northwest aspect, is a distinguished South Australian vineyard site. The soils are derived primarily from 800-million-year-old sandstone formations. Typically, the soils are light brown sandy/ gravel topsoils over a pebbly alluvial layer and mottled clay sub-soils. The original vineyard rows are contour-planted to mitigate erosion. The Armagh Vineyard was initially planted with cabernet sauvignon and malbec, followed by 3.3 hectares of shiraz vines in 1968, with The Armagh only sourced from these 1968 plantings. The material was all based on heirloom pre-phylloxera vine stock material. The Armagh Shiraz crops at under two tons/ acre (under 40 hectolitres/ hectare). The small berries, skin-to-juice ratio and intensely flavourful bunches result in wines of luxuriant density and firmness. “This opulent, silky shiraz grown on the sunny upland flats of Armagh, site of the Clare Valley’s original Irish settlement, was made in respect of the profound red wines Jim Barry found in the region in January 1947, when he arrived, fresh from winemaking school, a century after those first pioneers.” The Armagh story, featured on the original packaging which was written by wine writer Phillip White
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Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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The Vintage Journal – Verticals From left Sam Barry, Peter Barry, Tom Barry
VERTICAL TASTING NOTES – APRIL 2022 Hand sorting is followed by light crushing and vinification in “headed down” small open fermenters. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in barrels before maturation in primarily French oak for between 15 and 18 months. Although The Armagh was first matured in new American oak, the transition to French and larger oak vessels has been a major change over the last 10 years. This has resulted in better fruit/ oak integration through the maturation period and increasing transparency of the vineyard site. Deep crimson. Classical blackberry, praline, ginger, sage aromas with mocha oak notes. Luxurious blackberry pastille, blackcurrant, black cherry fruits, superb fine chocolatey/ velvet tannins and beautifully balanced mocha/ vanilla/ smoky oak notes. Finishes velvety/ gravelly firm with raspberry, graphite/ bush garrigue notes. A hugely impressive long-lasting Clare Valley Shiraz with lovely fruit definition, density and vigour. 15 months in French oak, 75% new. Screwcap. 13.6% alc Drink 2028–2050 2017 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 95 Deep crimson. Lifted dark chocolate, liquorice, dark plum aromas with vanilla, hint of mint notes. Superbly concentrated wine with intense dark chocolate, blackberry, liquorice fruits, fine chocolaty, slightly leafy tannins and underlying espresso vanilla notes and integrated fresh linear acidity. Finishes claret-firm with blackberry-chinotto notes. Very good density and torque. 18 months in French oak. Screwcap. 13.8% alc Drink 2026–2042 2016 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 98 Deep crimson. Roasted coffee, espresso, blackberry aromas with chinotto-sage notes. Inky deep palate with abundant blackberry, plum fruits, fine loose-knit graphite/ al dente tannins, superb mid-palate density and integrated mocha vanilla oak notes. A firm vigorous finish with ferruginous notes. An amazingly powerful yet graceful and sinuous wine with excellent cellaring potential. 16 months in French and American oak, 65% new. Screwcap 14.4% alc Drink 2028–2048 2018 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 99
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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2015 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 94
Deep medium crimson. Intense dark cherry, blackberry, hint truffle aromas with roasted chestnut, chinotto notes. Generously concentrated wine with plentiful dark cherry, blackberry dark plum fruits, some leafy tobacco notes, fine chocolaty tannins and underlying mocha/ malt oak notes, Finishes gravelly and minerally. 16 months in French and
American oak. Screwcap 14% alc Drink 2024–2038 2014 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 98
Deep medium crimson. Very complete and classic South Australian wine with beautiful dark chocolate, malt, blackberry, raspberry aromas with tobacco leaf/ sage notes. Superb complex wine with plentiful praline, dark cherry, blackberry fruits, remarkable inky density/ viscosity, plentiful fine loose-knit chalky/ al dente tannins and beautifully integrated mocha/ nutmeg oak. Bittersweet chinotto finish with a fine tannin plume. An outstanding vintage that will continue to develop for another 20 years. 16 months in French and American oak, 86% new. Screwcap 14.1% alc Drink now–2045 2013 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 95 Deep crimson. Lovely dark chocolate, praline, blackberry, stone fruit aromas with meaty herb notes. Silky textured with abundant blackberry, dark cherry, apricot, praline flavours, fine loose-knit chalky textures and underlying savoury/ espresso/ roasted chestnut oak complexity. Finishes chalky/ claret firm and minerally. Very good. 16 months in French and American oak, 90% new. Screwcap 14% alc Drink now–2035 2012 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 96 Deep crimson. Inky, roasted chestnut, truffle, blackberry pastille aromas with bush garrigue notes. Well balanced and complex palate with fresh blackberry pastille, dark chocolate, roasted chestnut, vanilla notes and fine loose-knit slinky tannins. Finishes graphite firm with aniseed notes. Very evocative wine with lovely density, bittersweetness and torque. 20 months in French and American oak, 100% new. Screwcap 13.4% alc Drink now–2038
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2010 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 95
Deep crimson. Intense oyster shell, graphite, dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate/ praline/ mocha aromas with sage notes. Concentrated dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate, supple fine loose-knit gravelly tannins and integrated mocha/ vanilla oak notes, Finishes chalky firm with blackberry pastille chinotto/ tobacco leaf notes, Very well balanced aged claret style. 14 months in French and American oak, 70% new. Screwcap 14.6% alc Drink now–2040 2009 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 96 Deep crimson. Lovely waxy polish black cherry roasted chestnut praline aromas with marzipan/ herb notes. Generous black cherry, dark plum, roasted chestnut flavours, fine slinky/ al dente textures, underlying marzipan, vanilla oak notes and underlying fresh mineral acidity. Finishes firm with plentiful sweet fruit/ liquorice notes. 18 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, 100% new. Cork 14.8% alc Drink now–2038 2008 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 96 Deep crimson. Intense dried plum, dark chocolate mocha aromas with wood varnish, coconut notes. Voluptuous blackberry dark plum fruits, plentiful chocolaty/ cedary tannins and pronounced mocha, coconut oak notes. Finishes al dente/ graphite firm. Very good density, vigour and mineral length. 14 months in French and American oak, 100% new. Cork 15% alc Drink now–2035 2007 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 93 Deep crimson. Developed dark plum, praline tobacco leaf aromas with wax polish notes. Developed fruit sweet palate with deep-set choco- berry tobacco leaf hint toffee flavours, fine gravelly tannins, some mocha espresso notes and underlying fresh acidity. Finishes gravelly/ gritty firm with a long tannin plume. Very complex with a muscular structure. 20 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, 100% new. Cork 15.2% alc Drink now–2030
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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2006 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 97
Deep crimson. Lifted black olive, iodine, dark cherry, graphite, liquorice aromas with hints of amontillado/ wood varnish. Voluminous dark cherry, blackberry fruits, plentiful graphite liquorice notes, fine plentiful graphite/ rusty tannins and integrated mocha, hint cedar notes. Finishes claret form with persistent inky graphite notes. Very complex with a ferruginous kick. 17 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 15.5% alc Drink now–2035 2005 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 93 Deep crimson. Developed dark cherry, espresso mocha, crème brûlée aromas. Richly concentrated wine with abundant dark berry fruits, fine slinky/ chalky textures, espresso, mocha oak notes, attractive mid-palate viscosity and persistent fresh acidity. Finishes cedar firm with gravelly notes. 18 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 15.4% alc Drink now–2032 2004 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 95 Deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate, caramel, maraschino cherry aromas with aniseed notes. Richly flavoured dark cherry, blackberry fruits, developed dark chocolate, tobacco notes, fine al dente leafy textures and integrated mocha, espresso oak. Finishes gravelly firm with dark cherry, chinotto notes. A sturdy vintage with very attractive fruit density and structure. 16 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 15.2% alc Drink now–2034 2003 – No wine made 2002 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 94 Deep crimson. Dark chocolate, graphite, tobacco aromas with rusty/ ferruginous notes. Well concentrated dark chocolate, praline tobacco flavours, fine gritty muscular tannins and underlying carob, mocha notes. Finishes rusty firm and minerally. 18 months in French and American
oak, 100% new. Cork 15.8% alc Drink now–2028 2001 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 95
Deep crimson. Developed roasted coffee, mocha, tobacco leaf aromas with coconut notes. Richly concentrated fruit sweet palate with plentiful dark cherry, praline flavours, fine loose-knit chalky/ al dente tannins, attractive inky density and attractive mocha vanilla notes. Finishes leafy firm with persistent dark berry/ liquorice notes. 15 months in French and American oak, 100% new. Cork 15.4% alc Drink now–2030
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2000 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 93
Deep crimson. Fresh complex dark cherry, chinotto, tobacco aromas with mocha coconut notes. Supple dark cherry, chinotto, tobacco, praline flavours with minerally, hint salty notes attractive mid-palate viscosity and fine dense silky textures. Finishes minerally and long. 14 months in French and American oak, 100% new. Cork 15.1% alc Drink now–2028 1999 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 94 Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, dark plum, dark chocolate liquorice aromas. Very soupy palate with deep-set dark chocolate dark berry fruits, dense muddy, rusty tannins and underlying mocha, liquorice notes. Finishes gritty and long with pronounced acidity. Plenty of extract and concentration. More like a pressings wine. 15 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 15.1% alc Drink now–2030 1998 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 92 Deep crimson. Developed dark cherry, musky plum, espresso iodine aromas. Concentrated dark cherry mocha, gamy flavours, fine loose- knit chocolaty/ rusty textures and fine persistent slightly saline acidity. Finishes ferruginous firm and minerally. Muscular style. 15 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 14.7% alc Drink now–soon. 1997 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 94 Deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate minty, dark cherry pastille. Well concentrated dark chocolate, dark cherry, blackberry praline espresso fine gritty/ leafy tannins, and mocha oak notes. Finishes chocolaty/ leafy notes with mineral inky notes. Very attractive old-style wine. 18 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, 100% new. Cork 14.3% alc Drink now–2032 1996 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 92 Deep crimson. Complex black cherry, mocha, farmyard, tobacco leaf, seaweed aromas. Well concentrated black cherry, mocha, farmyard flavours, loose-knit firm tannins and underlying mocha notes. Sinewy firm finish. Very good energy, richness and torque. 18 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, 100% new. Cork 13.1% alc Drink now– 2030
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
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1995 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 95
Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, praline liquorice aromas with bush garrigue notes. Inky deep wine with developed blackberry, dark chocolate flavours, fine loose-knit chalky tannins and mocha, vanilla oak notes. Finishes sinewy form and minerally. Classical claret style wine with attractive density, complexity and mineral length. 15 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 13.7% alc Drink now–2032 1994 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 97 Medium deep crimson. Fresh cherry cola, apricot mocha aromas with dusty graphite notes. Well concentrated and supple mocha, dark cherry, chinotto flavours apricot/ stone fruit notes, fine lacy textures, attractive mid-palate viscosity and underlying wood varnishy notes. Finishes chalky/ slinky dry with minerally notes. Lovely complex wine. 12 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 13.7% alc Drink now–2028 1993 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 93 Medium deep crimson. Roasted meats, cola, stewed fruit aromas with tobacco notes. Well developed wine with plentiful dark fruits, roasted meat, chinotto flavours, fine loose-knit graphite textures, some suppleness on the mid-palate. Starts to dry off at the finish. Pleasing to drink but at its best now. 15 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 14.3% alc Drink now–soon. 1992 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 94 Medium deep crimson. Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry, wax polish aromas with herb notes. Sturdy wine with ample dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate aniseed flavours, wax polish, tobacco notes and fine gritty texture. Finishes graphite/ chalky firm with a long tannin plume. Muscular in structure with attractive fruit complexity and vinosity. 19 months in American and French oak, 100% new. Cork 14.2% alc Drink now–2030. s 1991 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 96 Medium deep crimson. Intense black cherry, hint of leather polish aromas with wood varnish caramel notes. Inky textured wine with lovely complex choco-berry fruits, plentiful fine slinky/ chalky tannins. Finishes rusty firm and inky with savoury/ leathery notes. Still holding up very well. Ferruginous notes pervade. Very evocative retro-modern wine. 14 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, 100% new. Cork 13.4 % alc Drink now–2034
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1990 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
G 96
Medium deep crimson. Classical dark plum, blackberry, dark chocolate, praline aromas with red liquorice notes. Abundant developed dark plum, blackberry, dark chocolate flavours, fine slinky/ chalky textures, superb mid-palate richness, underlying mocha, hint dried coconut notes and fresh mineral length. Buoyant and classical. Delicious. 14 months in French oak, 100% new. Cork 14.6% alc Drink now–2034 1989 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 94 Medium deep crimson. Developed raspberry red plum caramel, crème brûlée aromas with herbal wood varnish notes. Sinuous wine with raspberry, red plum, caramel, crème brûlée flavours, fine slinky al dente textures and underlying espresso notes. Finishes chalky and minerally. 13 months in American oak, 100% new. Cork 14.5% alc Drink now–2032 1988 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 90 Medium deep crimson. Inky, tobacco leaf, red cherry, cola hint bretty aromas. A medium-bodied wine with red cherry, cola, chinotto flavours, fine chalky sinewy textures and pronounced fresh acidity. Finishes chalky dry. 14 months in American oak, 100% new. Cork 14.6% alc Drink now–2030 1987 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 92 Medium deep crimson. Attractive dark cherry, chinotto, graphite aromas with musty/ herb notes. Well concentrated cherry-cola, raspberry fruits, fine loose-knit chalky al dente textures, a hint of sandalwood grilled nut notes. Finishes firm, dry and tight. 15 months in American oak, 100% new. Cork 14.6% alc Drink now–2030 1986 – No wine made 1985 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia G 96 Medium deep crimson. Lifted black cherry, chinotto, liquorice, dark chocolate polished leather wood varnish aromas. Lovely old wine with black cherry chinotto, liquorice, chinotto praline, stone fruit flavours. Lovely mid-palate viscosity and fine loose-knit graphite textures. Delicious wine. Underlying spicy notes. 13 months in American oak, 100% new. Cork 13.7% alc Drink now–2030
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About the Author Andrew Caillard MW is the author of several books including Penfolds The Rewards of Patience (six editions), Imagining Coonawarra, A Travel Through Time (the history of leading Spanish winery Marques de Riscal) and co-authored educational books Australian Wine and A Taste Around The World of Wine . The Essence of Dreams (the history of the Mornington Peninsula’s wine industry) will be published in 2022. Andrew has also written a definitive history of Australian wine with plans for publication in 2023. The Vintage Journal draws on research, experience and tasting expertise gathered during over 40 years working in the secondary market, the corporate retail world, the wine media, film and painting.
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