Country: Australia  Region: South Australia  Vintage: 2016 Category: Red Wine  Color:  Red  Varietal: Shiraz Producer: Jim Barry Description Named after the Clare Valley settlement founded by Irish settlers in 1848, The Armagh Shiraz comprises opulent and muscular shiraz fruit that explodes with aroma and flavour. While stylistically different, the original winemaking philosophy of The Armagh Shiraz was in part inspired by neighbouring vineyard Wendouree. The Jim Barry wine sits somewhere between the vigorous, elegantly structured muscular style of Wendouree and the chocolatey richness of Penfolds Grange. This beautifully concentrated shiraz is sourced from a low-yielding vineyard that was planted in the Clare Valley in 1968, on a north-west-facing sandy gravel slope. Elevated at 400 metres, the position ensures maximum sun exposure, resulting in fully ripe fruit. The vines are hand harvested with several passes to ensure an optimum flavour profile is reached. Crushing and fermentation in small stainless steel tanks with heading down boards is followed by ageing in French (70%) and American oak hogsheads for 15 month. The plush fruit and supple richness are hallmarks of The Armagh style. With oak hidden behind curtains of deep, intense fruit and extraordinarily fine, structured tannins, The Armagh Shiraz is highly prized for consistency and ageing potential. The Vintage : Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2012 Shiraz The Armagh offers a gorgeous perfume of baking spices, violets, Sichuan pepper and fragrant earth. More earthy and savory in the mouth than on the nose, the palate is superbly structured and taut—built for the long-haul—with a long, complex finish. Consider drinking it over the next 20+ years.