JIM BARRY 2018 THE ARMAGH SHIRAZ

JAMES SUCKLING 99 POINTS – “The explosion of black and blue berry aromas with a dazzling interplay of fruit and oak takes your breath away. Very concentrated and compact, but not a jot too heavy at 13.8% alcohol. The incredibly fine tannins provide an extremely sensual texture, yet everything is precisely balanced at the super-long finish. The best ever Armagh! Drink or hold. Screw cap.”

WINE ADVOCATE 98 POINTS – ” In the context of the four vintages tasted alongside each other here, the 2018 The Armagh Shiraz is the silkiest, the reddest fruited and the most compact. In my opinion, the best Shirazes/Syrahs in this country present (within a sensible ripening bandwidth) a complex array of both sweet and savory fruit characters, not as a result of too little hang time, or too much, but purely as a result of the interaction between the brine, the soil and the climate. This vineyard and this wine achieves that complexity. So here, while the fruit has a mellifluousness and a suppleness that make it insanely attractive, I would suggest waiting a little longer for this wine to gain the momentum that it surely will gain in another year or two. Equally, if you want to see the pristine, almost sparkling fruit on show, then buy two bottles and open one tonight. It is gorgeous.”