2005 Jim Barry "The Armagh" Shiraz Clare Valley South Australia

96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Jim Barry's flagship is the famous Armagh Shiraz. The 2005 Shiraz 'Armagh' was sourced from a vineyard planted in 1964 on its own roots. It spent 18 months in French and American oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. It has an alluring bouquet of cedar, Asian spices, pepper, boysenberry, plum, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied yet elegant Shiraz with a velvety texture and impeccable balance. It offers up gobs of ripe fruit flavors, serious depth and concentration, and a very long finish. It will continue evolving with an additional 6-8 years of cellaring and drink well through 2035." (10/07) 95 points Wine Spectator: "Rich, ripe and beautifully focused on its boysenberry, pomegranate and rhubarb flavors, which persist through the long, expressive finish. The firm tannins get a bit of a grip on the finish. Needs cellaring to soften. Best from 2011 through 2020. 87 cases imported." (10/08) 94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Inky ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cherry pie, smoked meat and incense. Lush and creamy on the palate, which repeats the black and blue fruit qualities and gains tannic structure with air. For a wine of this size, there's excellent energy and focus. Seems never to let up, eventually finishing on sexy notes of black and blue fruit liqueur and sweet tobacco." (Sept/Oct '08) ETA: In stock by Late May 2009.