Jim Barry 'The McRae Wood' Shiraz 2017

The ultimate indulgence? In 1964 Jim Barry, and his wife Nancy, purchased 70 acres of prime farm land from their friend and neighbour, Duncan McRae Wood. On this special site they planted their first Shiraz vineyard. The fruit for this wine comes from that vineyard, the same vineyard as the iconic 'Armargh' Shiraz, which sells for around £100 per bottle.

This is outstanding Clare Valley Shiraz - bold, rich and meaty. Lovely round, silky palate with fine oak, ripe berry fruits and a rich savoury and earthy character. A few years in bottle has done this wine wonders, it's just on the verge of tasting mature, but the time spent in bottle has softened it to the point where each velvety sip feels like luxury.  

Press Review:

Christina Pickard, Wine Advocate: "In typical Clare Valley fashion, this is both muscular and fresh, due to the region's unique climactic conditions. Heady notes of ripe plums and brambly berries are backed by secondary characters like beef jerky, savory herbs, boot polish and oak-based vanillin. The palate is powerful and chiseled with elevated acidity and taut, drying tannins. Fruit is concentrated and supported by plenty of oak." - 90 points

Jim Barry is one of Australia's greatest wine names, who helped pioneer the now world-famous Clare valley region (despite only still producing 1.5% of Australia's total wine volume). Jim was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating with a degree in oenology from the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Founded in 1959, Jim Barry Wines is still family owned, with three generations of Roseworthy graduates. Jim’s son Peter became managing director in 1985 and today Peter’s children Tom, Sam and Olivia are the winemaker, commercial manager and brand ambassador respectively. Voted ‘2020 Winery of the Year' at the Halliday Wine Companion Awards they produce highly acclaimed and award-winning wines.