Jim Barry 'The Armagh' Shiraz Clare Valley 2018

2018 was a particularly dry growing season, with less than 15 centimetres of rain falling between October to March. However, two thirds of this rain fell at critical points in November and December which promoted canopy growth and enabled the fruit to develop evenly. The dry ripening period resulted in very low disease pressure with fruit in excellent condition at harvest.

The iconic 'Armagh' vineyard was named by the original Irish settlers who arrived in 1849 and called the lush, rolling hills after their homeland. In 1968, the vineyard was purchased by Jim Barry who planted it with Shiraz. Today these low-yielding vines produce less 27 hectolitres per hectare. The soil is sandy gravel and receives an average rainfall of 600 millimetres per year. The vineyard lies on a northwest facing slope which acts as a natural sun trap, ensuring the fruit is always fully ripened at harvest time. The Clare Valley climate is continental with a high diurnal temperature difference, producing Shiraz with evenly ripened tannins and flavour.

The grapes were hand-harvested and meticulously sorted before being destemmed and crushed. Vinification took place in small two tonne open top fermenters with heading down boards, which submerge the cap while gently extracting colour, flavour and tannins. Pump-overs were conducted twice a day with a rack and return once per day. Fermentation lasted eight days, before being racked to oak barrels where the wine underwent malolactic conversion. The wine was matured for 16 months in 60% French and 40% American oak hogsheads.