The Armagh 2019 75cl

The vineyard that the fruit for this iconic Australian wine is sourced from was planted in 1968, giving us the benefit of over 50 years of vine age—a very good thing when we consider fruit tannin and concentration. In addition to the vineyard placement and vine age, Clare Valley benefits from a wide-ranging array of elevation (190 meters to 610 meters) with high diurnal range. All of this means ripe wines, tense wines, and powerful wines, which just about sums up Clare Valley. So, to this wine: The 2019 The Armagh Shiraz is complex, layered and spiced, with a multitude of hung deli meats and small goods packed in alongside the purple fruits and exotic spice. The wine is supple, for all the power, and unfurls over a long finish to show the muscle and might of this iconic wine. In a vertical of four vintages (2016, 2017, 2018 and this 2019), this has the second-highest alcohol of the lot, at 14.1%, showing that concentration and density doesn't have to come at the expense of finesse. I love this.

I like this. A typically rich Armagh, boasting ample Australian swagger glimpsed through a lens of contemporary freshness. Very different to certain iterations past. Think smoked charcuterie, violets, blue fruits and pepper grind, with a sachet of Indian spice emptied across the firm, tautly knit tannins, nicely gritty and moreish. A long, penetrative finish and a whiff of mint. Burly, exotic and energetic all at once. A winning triumvirate. Best after 2025.