2012 Jim Barry Wines The Armagh Shiraz Clare Valley Australia 750 ml

Australian “First Growth”

A handful of Australian “First Growths” are making Shiraz on the level of the world’s greatest wines and delivering the experiences to match. Along with Penfolds Grange, there’s Henschke Hill of Grace, Clarendon Hills Astralis, Yalumba The Caley, and Jim Barry The Armagh. Langtons, Australia’s leading auction house has a classification system modelled on the 1855 classification of Bordeaux, and they rate Jim Barry Armagh in the “Exceptional” category — their equivalent of a “First Growth.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated this 2012 Armagh 98+ points, the equal second-highest score for the vintage just a half a whisker below the $700 Henschke Hill of Grace and $700 Penfolds Grange. We have the last 42 bottles in the United States at $249 each, frankly a steal for Australian greatness of this caliber.

Have you ever seen a $130,000 wine? Legendary Australian producer Penfolds Grange made just 12 bottles — and by “bottles” we mean hand-crafted ampoules, enclosed completely in glass — of the 2004 Block 42 Shiraz. If you buy it, Penfolds chief winemaker, Peter Gago, will personally fly to wherever you are and open it for you. But why mention that here? It’s a statement about the state of Australian wine.

The reality is, a handful of Australian “First Growths” are making Shiraz on the level of the world’s greatest wines and delivering the experiences to match.

But very few of us even at Wine Access had ever experienced the sheer brilliance of one of Australia’s powerhouse producers — the makers of triple-digit priced reds. Chatter quickly spread through the office that our Chief Wine Officer Matt Deller MW, who originally hails from down-under, was opening a 98+ point Shiraz from one of the greats.

A curious group gathered around the tasting table with just-polished Riedel's in hand. Matt poured the purple-black elixir into glasses, and opted to disclose nothing. All he said was, “try it.”

It didn’t take long before the entire room was converted. “We have to offer this,” came one reply, “It’s on the level of Grange, but $450 cheaper?”  

At $249, compared to other world-class bottlings, the 2012 is frankly a steal. Grown in southern Australia’s famed Clare Valley, the 2012 The Armagh was hand harvested from 50-year-old Shiraz vines planted by founder Jim Barry himself. Yields are miniscule, less than two tons/acre, which result in fantastically concentrated berries with immense complexity.

In the cellar, winemaker Tom Barry (Jim’s Grandson) takes a hands-off approach, allowing the specificity of the Clare Valley to shine through beautifully in bottle. The result is truly magnificent: powerful yet elegant; dense, rich, and complex, lively and vibrant; a pillar of Australian winemaking and a world-class declaration. Kudos to Matt for securing these 42 bottles.

More than a few of us declared, “I’m buying a bottle,” so, the competition is definitely going to be hot, especially knowing it starts right from within.

Jonathan Cristaldi

Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access