Jim Barry Wines Shiraz Watervale Single Vineyard Clare Valley
Opulent aromas of rich, berried fruits surround a core of classic Clare Valley spice and eucalyptus. Beautifully structured with a terrific length of vibrant fruit on the palate.
Producer Note - Certain names resonate strongly within Australian wine history and Jim Barry is one of them. It was Jim Barry's drive that helped shape South Australia's Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world class Riesling and cemented it as one of Australia's premier wine regions. Jim was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating with a degree in oenology from the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Founded in 1959, Jim Barry Wines is still family owned, with three generations of Roseworthy graduates. Jim's son Peter became managing director in 1985 and today Peter's children Tom, Sam and Olivia are the winemaker, commercial manager and brand ambassador respectively. Voted '2020 Winery of the Year' at the Halliday Wine Companion Awards they produce highly acclaimed and award-winning wines.
Vintage - 2016 was an early, condensed and exciting vintage. Good levels of rain fell during the winter, which built the soil's water reserves. A very dry, hot spring followed and flowering occurred early. The dry, warm weather continued throughout the ripening period and into the harvest, resulting in healthy grapes of excellent quality.
Vineyard - This single vineyard wine is sourced from the Florita vineyard in Watervale. The Shiraz block is planted on a gentle northwest facing slope where the soil is composed of a thin layer of loam over limestone. The vines are trained on a single cordon with a rod and spur to promote even canopy growth along the cordon, to provide optimal shade and to avoid crowding of fruit to reduce disease. The Clare Valley climate has a high diurnal temperature difference, which produces an elegant Shiraz.
Winemaking - The grapes were destemmed, carefully sorted and gently crushed allowing a small percentage of whole berries to pass through. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel fermenters with heading down boards, which submerged the skins in the fermenting must to gently extract colour, flavour and tannins. Pump-overs were conducted twice per day, with a rack and return each day. Fermentation lasted seven to nine days before being pressed; all the pressings were returned to the free-run wine. One third of the grapes were co-fermented with 15% of whole bunch fruit to impart complexity and an aromatic lift to the wine. Malolactic fermentation occurred in tank before the wine was racked to French oak for 12 months maturation.
Tasting Note - Opulent aromas of rich, bright red fruits are supported by a core of classic Clare Valley spice. Beautifully structured with fine savoury tannins and terrific length of vibrant fruit on the palate. Not your typical Clare Valley Shiraz!
Grape: Shiraz 100%
Winemaker: Tom Barry & Derrick Quinton
Region: South Australia Sub region: Clare Valley Country: Australia
Alcohol: 13.5%
Body Value: D (A is light, E is full bodied)
Residual Sugar: 0.5
Awards - 93 Pts, James Halliday , 2019
Contains Sulphites: Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan: No/No
Milk/Eggs: No/Yes
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
