2021 Jim Barry Spring Farm Block 81 Malbec, Clare Valley

The 2021 Spring Farm Block 81 Malbec leads with chocolate box and pomegranate, wilted garden rose, raspberry and pink peppercorns. Dried mint and shaved fennel complete the bouquet. In the mouth, the wine is ferrous, bloody and dry, with a splay of tannin that shapes the fruit through the middle palate and finish. This is a superb rendition of Malbec. It is succulent and chewy. Tasting it alongside the Spring Farm Cabernet, one can't help but wonder at the magic that could have been possible with a blend of the two.

96 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

A Very Fancy Malbec. Delivers concentration, power and grace. A fully fledged experience with inky, blackberry and red plum fruit, some choc-mint elements, salted licorice and some sage leaf and salt bush herbal notes in the mix. Though deep and brooding, there's a litheness here, too, a web of fine, silky tannins delivering more power but a sheath of minerally texture and character that stretches the wine especially long. It feels fancy from hello, and we're given an insight into elegance and poise from this variety. Impressive.

96 points Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

Jim Barry Wines’ Spring Farm Block 81 Malbec is a distinctive single-vineyard wine that showcases the Clare Valley’s ability to produce more than just benchmark Riesling and Shiraz. The Spring Farm vineyard sits on the southern edge of Clare township and has been part of the Barry family’s holdings for decades. Block 81, in particular, is a prized site planted to Malbec, a variety that thrives in the region’s combination of warm days, cool nights, and complex soils. The block’s red-brown loam over clay provides excellent drainage yet retains enough moisture to sustain the vines through Clare’s dry summers, resulting in small crops of deeply coloured, intensely flavoured fruit.

The vineyard benefits from Clare Valley’s continental climate, with significant diurnal temperature variation allowing slow, even ripening. This preserves Malbec’s vivid aromatics and natural acidity while building ripe tannin structure. Hand-harvested fruit from Block 81 is fermented in small, open-top vessels, with gentle plunging to extract colour and flavour without harsh tannins. The wine is matured in a mix of French and American oak—often seasoned to allow the vibrant fruit to shine—imparting subtle spice and structure rather than dominating the palate.

In the glass, the Spring Farm Block 81 Malbec is inky purple with a lifted bouquet of blackberry, mulberry, and blueberry layered with violet, cocoa, and baking spice. The palate is plush and concentrated, delivering a core of ripe dark fruits accented by hints of anise and dark chocolate. Fine, velvety tannins and fresh acidity give balance and length, while the oak influence adds just a touch of cedar and vanilla to frame the fruit. The wine finishes long, with a savoury, earthy undertone that reflects the vineyard’s terroir.

It pairs beautifully with chargrilled ribeye, roast lamb with rosemary, venison with blackberry jus, or hearty vegetarian dishes such as lentil and mushroom moussaka. While approachable on release for its plush fruit and silky texture, it has the concentration and structure to cellar for 8–10 years, developing more savoury and complex layers over time.