Jim Barry

The Armagh Shiraz 2022

The Armagh vineyard is one of South Australia’s most distinguished Shiraz sites. Located on a northwest-facing slope at 367 metres elevation, just two kilometres northwest of Clare township, the vineyard combines an alluvial flat with gently sloping terrain bisected by the Armagh Creek.The low-fertility soils, derived from 800-million-year-old Rhynie sandstone, consist of light sandy gravel over a pebbly alluvial layer with mottled clay subsoils. This unique soil profile, combined withnatural drainage, contour planting and a westerly aspect, creates ideal conditions for growing Shiraz of exceptional concentration, complexity and structure.Planted in 1968 with heirloom pre-phylloxera vine stock, these Shiraz vinesproduce naturally small berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio, resulting in winesof extraordinary density, depth and longevity. Cropping at less than two tonnesper acre (under 30 hectolitres per hectare), this vineyard consistently yields fruit of the highest quality, underpinning The Armagh’s status among the great Shirazwines of the world.