Tasting Notes
Vinous 98+
The world-class 2018 Shiraz The Armagh has the potentially perfect mix of raw power, style and structure. It radiates fruit pastille, cassis, clove, violet and granitic aromas, with toasty oak providing a solid canvas. Tight, focused and beautifully composed, there is exceptional underlying energy to the waves of flavor. A strong seam of drying tannins supports the sustained, savory finish. Just brilliant.
Anticipated maturity: 2030-2060
Wine Advocate 98
In the context of the four vintages tasted alongside each other here, the 2018 The Armagh Shiraz is the silkiest, the reddest fruited and the most compact. In my opinion, the best Shirazes/Syrahs in this country present (within a sensible ripening bandwidth) a complex array of both sweet and savory fruit characters, not as a result of too little hang time, or too much, but purely as a result of the interaction between the brine, the soil and the climate. This vineyard and this wine achieves that complexity. So here, while the fruit has a mellifluousness and a suppleness that make it insanely attractive, I would suggest waiting a little longer for this wine to gain the momentum that it surely will gain in another year or two. Equally, if you want to see the pristine, almost sparkling fruit on show, then buy two bottles and open one tonight. It is gorgeous. This was my favorite wine here today for its silky, delicate line of tannin and fruit. In perfect sync.
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2042
JancisRobinson.com 17.5
Vibrant cherry red. Open, floral, just a touch of oak spice and fruit spice along with fruit sweetness. Wonderfully fragrant on the palate, too, silky texture. Intense, lithe, finely balanced. Notable but integrated freshness.
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2032
Decanter 100
A meaty, savoury, spiced nose, something so welcoming about it, warm and friendly with a touch of perfume, dark chocolate, cinnamon and pink peppercorn to the blackcurrant, damsons and plums. Rich, ample and generous, yet delivered with such supple and velvety-soft tannins. This has an elegance to it, a cool sophistication in terms of the profile – neat and tidy, quite linear right now, brimming with energy, not yet fully expansive or loose, but quietly controlled and calm. It’s confident though with invigorating acidity and I love the focus, detail and the purity of fruit. Sweet red fruits – strawberries, raspberries and red cherries with a slight balsamic, pomegranate edge that is so delicious. Juicy, crunchy, succulent and ripe but with an effortless edge to it. Supremely drinkable and likeable – what a gorgeous wine! A quality vintage and excellent winemaking skill on show. Ageing 18 months in French oak.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045
Jane Anson 98
Third year for The Armagh on the Place de Bordeaux, and it’s an exceptional vintage, packed full of fragrant aromatics and plump, seductive, spiced and nuanced black cherry and damson fruit. Grilled sandalwood oak, firm tannins, plenty of black chocolate shavings, mandarin peel, the stone fruits edge of fully ripe Shiraz (almost as if it has been vinified with Viognier), tempered by sage and freshly cut rosemary herbs. This grabs you and stretches out through the palate. From a superb vineyard planted in 1968 by Jim Barry, with low yields of around 27hl/h (equivalent to less than two tonnes per acre), this is exceptional, with decades ahead of it. I suggest waiting a few years before opening, but the tannins are polished enough that you don’t have to if you are prepared to give it a good long carafe. Made by Peter and Tom Barry. Sandy-gravel soils. 75% new oak, mainly 300l with a few 500l, unfined and unfiltered. Tom Barry winemaker.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2040
The Wine Independent 95
Deep garnet-black colored, the 2018 The Armagh Shiraz strides out with confident notes of stewed black plums, black cherry preserves, and Indian spices, followed by fragrant wafts of garrigue, peppered salami, and camphor with a lifted waft of roses. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing, delivering chewy tannins and loads of savory layers, finishing fragrant.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2043
James Suckling 99
The explosion of black and blue berry aromas with a dazzling interplay of fruit and oak takes your breath away. Very concentrated and compact, but not a jot too heavy at 13.8% alcohol. The incredibly fine tannins provide an extremely sensual texture, yet everything is precisely balanced at the super-long finish. The best ever Armagh! Drink or hold. Screw cap.
