| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | Australia > South Australia > Clare Valley |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2021 The Armagh Shiraz comes with the backing of the superb 2021 season that birthed it. Aromatically, the wine leads with charry oak and spicy black and red fruits: pomegranate, raspberry, blackberry and licorice. It smells succulent, ripe and plush, but it doesn't give the impression that it is bloated or heavyset. On the palate, the wine is everything we hoped it could be: mouthfilling, full-bodied, blanched and ripe. The fruit stays on the red end of the spectrum, while there is date, toffee apple, black peppercorns and a hint of prune through the finish. Dark chocolate, tobacco and star anise complete the picture. This is one of the very best Armaghs made to date, and it will be even better in time. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2024-2041.
Violet-edged in colour, this delivers stunning freshness and vibrancy, packed with ripe damson, red cherry and raspberry fruit. The yield is a little higher than the previous few vintages, at around 33hl/h, and it helps emphasise juiciness and poise, deftly pairing intensity and restraint. Hard not to love this, with its slate textured scrape giving just the right amount of lift, muscular tannins and a touch of peach pit and salted cracker on the drawn-out finish. Moreish, a beautiful slice of Clare Valley Shiraz from fruit planted in 1968. 100% French oak, Tom Barry winemaker, bottled unfiltered and unfined. Drink: 2024-2040.
I am fortunate to have tasted a great many vintages of The Armagh, and this is one Aussie Shiraz that never disappoints. Often closed and brooding in its youth, there is always a benchmark Clare signature of wild herbs, baked earth, and desert florals hovering above the epic fruit. This 2021 vintage is no exception, and the fruit is nothing short of sensational. I cannot remember tasting a more expressive or, indeed, more elegant wine from this hallowed ground. It is the perfect expression of region, grape, vintage and site, and it rings true to Barry’s ethos of reaching for the stars with every wine they produce. In two words – ‘buy it’.
