Clare Valley, Part 2

 The next stop was Jim Barry. Jim Barry can offer a number of highlights in its portfolio. First is the 2021 Assyrtiko. This really is an attractive variety, originating from Santorini. I have written about this before. Jim Barry is the only Australian producer. And this variety is well worth seeking out. Why? It is an aromatic variety, and at the same time, it is very energetic. This is a great summer drink (92 points).

Of course, you cannot go past the Florita Rieslings. This vineyard came to prominence under John Vickery and the Leo Buring label. I tasted three years: 2021, 2015, 2013. The 2021 showed white flower on the nose. This continued on the palate together with lime flavours. This wine is quite powerful and very driven (94 points). The 2015 had a similar fruit flavour profile, and started to show the maturing signs of Riesling: a whiff of kerosene, but actually more of a marmelade flavour (95 points). The 2013 displayed more kerosene, but the fruit was still fresh (94 points). I also tasted the 2018 LoosenBerry Walta Walta, the joint effort with Dr. Loosen from Germany. This wine is made more in the German style, with more time on lees and maturing in used oak. I found the wine a bit nondescript and a little sweet, although it is labeled dry (92 points). The 2021 showed more freshness and line (93 points).

The next bracket featured Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine was the 2016 Pb Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. It had redcurrant on the front palate, some Shiraz sweetness in the middle and an earthy finish. This was a decent example of Australia's classic blend (92 points). Then came the 2018 First Eleven Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a very bright profile with redcurrant dominant, backed up by some mocca flavours (92 points). The 2017 Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare was quite different; a solid structure and a very tannic wine which gripped my mouth (91 points). This bracket was ok, but there were no outstanding wines here.

This changed with the 2018 The McRae Wood Shiraz. This wine is dark fruited with blackberry flavours, 5 spice and olive notes. The fruit is from declassified Armagh, and augmented with fruit from other vineyards. But hey, this wine is quite brilliant, with silky tannins and a long finish (95 points). The Armagh comes from 54 year old vines, and has quite some pedigree, obviously. The 2017 is very dark and more concentrated than the before tasted McRae Wood, and it still has some freshness. Yet I found the wine a bit dense (94 points).