"Super-ripe dark chocolate, raisiny, toasty and cooked-fruit aromas command the bouquet. A full-bodied but quite elegantly-crafted wine with tremendous intensity and distinction. There's a lot of toasty vanilla oak and it's full of character. In spite of the very ripe, opulent fruit and liberal oak it's still fresh and vibrant. A wine with a massive future."
97 points, The Real Review (May 2019)
"Strong barrel ferment aromas lead off, scenting this fully flared wine with deli meats and smoked backstop aromas. Then the fruit: blue and black allusions all. Anise, clove, cardamom and vanilla-cased oak. Lots. Yet while it confers a guideline to the riot of fruit and warmth, it is nestled within the ensemble rather than smothering it. The tannin management: creamy and luxuriant, yet authoritative, is this wine's focal point."
95 points, Wine Companion (December 2017)
Strong barrel ferment aromas lead off, scenting this fully flared wine with deli meats and smoked backstop aromas. Then the fruit: blue and black allusions all. Anise, clove, cardamom and vanilla-cased oak. Lots. Yet while it confers a guideline to the riot of fruit and warmth, it is nestled within the ensemble rather than smothering it. The tannin management: creamy and luxuriant, yet authoritative, is this wine's focal point.
95 points, Wine Companion (December 2017)
A cooler, later and mellower vintage that has a more reticent nose with attractive, fragrant spices, fresh-baked pastry and an array of dark cherries and red plums, as well as some tarry notes. The palate has a big, rich and intense fruit presence with such lusciously layered, dark-plum flavors. Spicy oak runs bold on the finish. A big wine. Try from 2025 and for two decades after that.
96 points, JamesSuckling.com (June 2020)
The current release 2015 The Armagh Shiraz is the biggest of the recent bottlings of this icon. Full-bodied, dense and rich, it takes concentrated blackberries and boysenberries, then frames them in oak spice and maple syrup, yet it remains somehow savory and dry. The tannins are supple on the mid-palate, then firm on the finish, accented by crisp acids.
95 points, Wine Advocate (February 2020)
The Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is located two hours north of Adelaide in the Mount Lofty ranges. The region was settled by John Horrocks who encouraged his servant James Green to plant the first vines in 1842. Climate in the Clare Valley is continental with hot summers, cold winters and low rainfall that necessitates supplementary irrigation. Soils in the valley are predominantly red brown loams over shale, permitting excellent drainage. Many of the best vineyards are located at higher elevations of 400-500m on sites that take advantage of the cool breezes that funnel up the corrugation of hills from the south. The Clare Valley is renowned for its zesty fruit-pure Rieslings particularly from the sub-regions of Polish Hill and Watervale. The region also produces intense age-worthy sturdy reds from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.Jim Barry
Jim Barry, named after the eponymous founding wine maker, is one of the stalwart wineries of the Clare Valley. In 1959 the late Jim Barry purchased land near the township of Clare, replanting much of it to vineyard. Under the leadership of managing director Peter Barry and sons Tom and Sam Barry the brand has gone from strength to strength. Jim Barry is best known for its flagship Shiraz The Armagh, but also produces an impressive range of wines including Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from their vineyard holdings in the Clare Valley and Coonawarra.
