This wine is deep crimson red with purple tints. It shows the hallmarks of low-yielding vines, with intense tightly coiled aromas of cranberry, mulberry, boysenberry and spearmint, with the underlying characters of rosemary, sage, cinnamon, cedar and black pepper. In the mouth this wine really shows its true colours and while it is still very young, the firm tannin structure plays an integral role in the overall picture. Flavours of red currants, black cherries and blueberries are in abundance, with an undercurrent of freshly turned earth and truffles in the background. The length of flavour and power in this wine, whilst still showing finesse and restraint, is what sets it at the zenith of red winemaking at Jim Barry Wines.
Jim Barry
For more than 50 years, Jim Barry Wines has consistently produced wines of international acclaim. The late Jim Barry was a pioneer of Australian table wine, graduating with the 17th diploma in winemaking in Australia. He went on to become the first qualified winemaker to work in the Clare Valley of South Australia and with his wife, Nancy, built a successful wine business which has produced trophy-winning wines since its establishment in 1959. Today, the custodian of Jim Barry Wines is their.. read more
Wine Advocate # 199. Feb 2012. Reviewer : Lisa Perrotti-Brown : Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2007 The Amargh Shiraz gives pronounced notes of warm blackberries and blueberries with nuances of earth, cumin seed, anise, black truffles, black olives and duck breast. Very full and voluptuous in the mouth, the richness is nicely supported by a high level of velvety tannins and lively acid, finishing long and layered. Delicious now, it should cellar to 2022+.
Issue: Web Only - 2009. Big, rich and ripe, piling layers of flavor on one another, offering mineral-accented black cherry, blackberry, cola and spice flavors that soar through the long, vivid finish. Drink now through 2018. –HS.
Sep/Oct 09. By Josh Raynolds. Inky purple color. Explosively perfumed bouquet of blackberry and blueberry liqueur, licorice, fruitcake, incense and dried violet. Lush and creamy but penetrating, offering sweet, extremely powerful boysenberry and blueberry flavors, molten tannins and a sexy note of candied flowers. Refuses to let up on the finish, which echoes the sweet blueberry note and leaves spice, pepper and floral notes in its wake. I find this more energetic than the wonderful 2005 and 2004 versions.
Decanter.com, 5 Stars -"The flagship wine for this estate comes from an 3.5-hectare vineyard of Shiraz still on its own rootstocks. Damsons meld with rich dried fruit, spice and dark chocolate, balanced by integrated new oak. An opulently smooth wine that deserves its icon status."
Uncertain colour for such a distinguished wine; quickly recovers with its powerful array of black fruits, licorice and oak on the bouquet and full-bodied palate; the vintage, however, robs the wine of its usual great distinction.
I didn’t taste it blind so the reputation of its label preceded it, but so did that of the vintage. I did taste it over a 24 hour period though, as is appropriate sometimes for cellar-worthy wines. Blackberry, choc-mint, toast and brown spice oak, aromatic roasting herbs and some licorice – a veritable hat stand on which to throw descriptors. Rich, thick and warm and cool and mentholly all at once. It has considerable depth and slightly rugged gritty tannin, but they’re nicely buried – a valley floor of tannin – and add an air of authentic rustic charm breezing through it. Savoury and smoky to close with a drying finish that’s carried by sweet and lively black fruit and spice. Interest and genuine appeal.
With more truffles and well-hung game than a Piemontese banquet and so much latent power that it makes me feel bashful to even type its name, 2006 The Armagh is a perfect expression of its site and it is also an awe-inspiring encapsulation of the paradise that is the Clare Valley. For me this means that it is a rare 20/20 wine.
The Armagh is an old-vine beauty - a full-on, volume up to eleven, no prisoners kinda wine. It smells of ripe blood plums, chocolate, mocha, blackberry, leather, hard brown spices and sweet dark earth. It completely fills the mouth and makes for a very rich and ripe wine - essence-like concentration - grilled nuts, black cherrystone to finish. Impressive, undeniable and very darn good!
17 months in French & American Oak
