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2005 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
The Armagh vineyard was planted by Jim Barry in 1968 and lies on a north-west facing slope which acts as a natural sun trap, ensuring the fruit is always fully ripened when picked. Yields are less than 2 tonnes per acre. The 2005 vintage was considered to be an outstanding year in the Clare Valley. The season produced near perfect growing conditions. Spring was warm, but the maximum temperatures over January and February were slightly cooler than usual and there were useful falls of rain that kept vines looking healthy.
(Tasted in 2009) The wine was matured in a combination of 80% new French oak and 20% new American oak for a period of 18 months. Black purple colour, totally opaque and glass staining. Intense, very perfumed and youthful nose with notes of freshly crushed blackberry and plum, with liquorice, confectionary and violets. The palate is full bodied, super concentrated and tremendously rich with a powerhouse of flavour possessing explosive length and depth. Opulently textured with strong liquorice, aniseed, blackberry, confectionary and blackpepper flavours. Fine grained tannins with long liquorice, aniseed aftertaste. A superb Armagh.
Cellar 10 years+ (2019+)
Alc/Vol: 15.5%
Jim Barry’s flagship is the famous Armagh Shiraz. The 2005 Shiraz “Armagh” was sourced from a vineyard planted in 1964 on its own roots. It spent 18 months in French and American oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. It has an alluring bouquet of cedar, Asian spices, pepper, boysenberry, plum, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied yet elegant Shiraz with a velvety texture and impeccable balance. It offers up gobs of ripe fruit flavors, serious depth and concentration, and a very long finish. It will continue evolving with an additional 6-8 years of cellaring and drink well through 2035.
96 points
Dr Jay Miller – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate