Winemaker Notes
A lovely, concentrated wine, with aromas of mulberry, sarsaparilla and vanilla entwined with sage and violet notes. Intense flavors of elderberries, plum, sage and five spice. The palate is medium bodied with a flow of purple fruit and fine sandy tannins. A wine of great complexity built to develop through the ages.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A special vintage perfectly captures The Armagh Vineyard’s particular signature of heady wild herbs, powerful black fruits and rich red earth. Age makes a difference, as these Shiraz vines grown on three contoured rows within a north Clare site are now more than 50 years old; their deep roots contribute to the complexity of big-framed Shiraz that carefully balances muscle with elegance. It benefits greatly from winemaker Sam Barry applying gentler treatment in the winery; the wine is now matured in the more restrained ratio of 60% new oak in larger formats with lighter toasting. A big liquorice lift in the aromas supports a swirling palate that unfurls layers of dark chocolate, tobacco and nutmeg on a brooding foundation of rich berry compote. Bright acidity and firm tannin ensure great tension, as waves of bright red and purple fruit swirl all the way to the tail of this wine, where its character shines brightest. A gnarly blackberry grip and firm tannins hang tough on that tail, with determined persistence that suggests decades ahead in the cellar.
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James Suckling
This is deep, concentrated and wonderfully balanced with a full body but excellent freshness and energy. Aromas of black and blue fruits, orange peel, dried violets, star anise and coffee beans combine with a fine-grained yet solid and focused tannin frame. Long and intense. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
Rating: 97+ -
Vinous
The embryonic young 2021 Shiraz The Armagh shows exceptional purity, with waves of licorice and roasted spices backed by tarry mulberry, blackcurrant and inky aromatics. There is a strong tannic feel here but also a lightness of touch—stunning composure and length for a finesse-filled and beautifully integrated Armagh vintage.
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Spectator
A vibrant, complex mix of spice, herb and floral aromatics mingle with a dark core of blueberry and huckleberry, plus velvety tannins and flavors of salted caramel and rich French press coffee. Harmonious and seamless on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2038.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The Clare Valley is actually a series of narrow north to south valleys, each with a different soil type and slightly different weather patterns along their stretch. In the southern heartland between Watervale and Auburn, there is mainly a crumbled, red clay loam soil called terra rossa and cool breezes come in from Gulf St. Vincent. A few miles north, in Polish Hill, is soft, red loam over clay; westerlies blowing in from the Spencer Gulf influece this area's climate.
The differences in soil, elevation, degree of slope and weather enable the region to produce some of Australia’s finest, aromatic, spicy and lime-pithy Rieslings, as well as excellent Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with ripe plummy fruit, good acid and big structure.
Clare Valley is an isolated farming country with a continental climate known for its warm and sunny days, followed by cool nights—perfect for wine grapes’ development of sugar and phenolic ripeness in conjunction with notable acidity levels.