2021 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley

The 2021 The Armagh Shiraz comes with the backing of the superb 2021 season that birthed it. Aromatically, the wine leads with charry oak and spicy black and red fruits: pomegranate, raspberry, blackberry and licorice. It smells succulent, ripe and plush, but it doesn't give the impression that it is bloated or heavyset. On the palate, the wine is everything we hoped it could be: mouthfilling, full-bodied, blanched and ripe. The fruit stays on the red end of the spectrum, while there is date, toffee apple, black peppercorns and a hint of prune through the finish. Dark chocolate, tobacco and star anise complete the picture. This is one of the very best Armaghs made to date, and it will be even better in time. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

97+ points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

This is deep, concentrated and wonderfully balanced with a full body but excellent freshness and energy. Aromas of black and blue fruits, orange peel, dried violets, star anise and coffee beans combine with a fine-grained yet solid and focused tannin frame. Long and intense. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

97 points jamessuckling.com

A thunderous release on hand. It feels a bit darker fruited and woody than the 2020, but maintains its impressive presence and structure galore. Opens with a procession of dark berries, clove and mahogany spice, fig and date richness, mocha with some turned earth and faint eucalyptus-like characters. The texture delivers grip, swerve and pucker. More of the clove/cedar woodiness here, dried fruits, ferrous characters, dark berries, stewed plum and a swish of bramble and minty lift to taste. The texture is fleshy but comes with ribbons of firm, gravelly tannin, the finish long and gently palate staining with saline and graphite mineral elements. Decadence plus. In its grippy, dry form now, it shows that time in cellar is advisable.

95 points Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

Jim Barry’s The Armagh Shiraz is one of Australia’s most revered single-vineyard wines, a true icon of the Clare Valley. The vineyard, planted in 1968 by Jim Barry on a modest three-hectare block in the Armagh district, takes its name from the Irish town where many of the area’s early settlers originated. Sitting on low-fertility gravelly soils over clay, the dry-grown vines produce tiny yields of intensely flavoured berries. The Clare’s warm days, tempered by cool nights, give the fruit both richness and aromatic lift, while decades of vine maturity contribute exceptional concentration and complexity.

In the glass, The Armagh is deeply coloured, almost opaque, with an expressive nose of blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry intertwined with dark chocolate, liquorice, anise, and exotic spice. Hints of cedar, mocha, and roasted coffee from high-quality French oak (often with a portion of new barrels) integrate seamlessly with the opulent fruit. The palate is full-bodied and powerful yet finely balanced, offering layers of dark fruit, savoury spice, and earthy undertones wrapped in ripe, velvety tannins. The length is extraordinary, with a finish that carries both richness and elegance, hallmarks of the vineyard’s pedigree.

This is a wine built for the cellar. While undeniably impressive in its youth for its depth and intensity, The Armagh will comfortably mature for 20 years or more, developing further layers of savoury complexity, leather, and truffle with age. It is a perfect match for slow-braised lamb shanks, wagyu beef rib, venison with juniper, or roasted field mushrooms with rosemary.