Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz (2022)
750mL / Clare Valley / Australia
The Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz 2022 is the Clare Valley's benchmark single-vineyard Shiraz, and this vintage leans towards perfume and lift rather than sheer bulk. Deep crimson in the glass, it carries the density the label is known for while staying agile.
Aromatics open on blackberry and blood plum, with dark cherry, spearmint and dried flowers behind them, then a savoury turn towards liquorice, olive and baking spice. It is a nose that keeps unfolding rather than announcing everything at once.
The palate is full-bodied but well balanced, with succulent dark fruit running over fine-grained, powdery tannins and an acid line that keeps everything bright. Spiced, faintly cocoa-edged flavours build through the middle, and the finish is long, firm and persistent without any heat or heaviness.
Pour it with wagyu rib eye, slow-smoked lamb shoulder, oxtail braised with red wine, or a wedge of properly aged cheddar. Big, unhurried food suits the wine's grip best, though a couple of hours in a decanter will show what it can do alongside simpler roast beef.
Drink from now through to 2045 and beyond. The Armagh Shiraz 2022 gives real pleasure young, but decade-scale cellaring will trade primary fruit for leather, earth and dried spice — worth the wait if you have the patience and the space.
BELLEVUE HILL BOTTLE SHOP