Jim Barry Wines 'The McRae Wood', Clare Valley, Shiraz 2017

In 1964, Jim purchased 28 hectares of prime land from Duncan McRae Wood and planted his first vineyard with Shiraz. It was an inspired choice of both grape variety
and location. The vineyard is characterised by grey sandy topsoil over a clay subsoil. The vines are trained on a single cordon to promote an even canopy and provide optimal shade. The Clare Valley has a high diurnal temperature difference, the cool nights allow the vines to retain balancing acidity, producing an elegant style of Shiraz.

The grapes were destemmed and crushed before being fermented in stainless steel fermenters with heading down boards, which submerged the skins in the fermenting must. This moderated the temperature of the 'cap' while gently extracting colour, flavour and tannins. Pump-overs were conducted twice a day with a rack and return once per day. Fermentation lasted for between seven to 10 days before being pressed. Malolactic conversion took place in tank before the wine was racked to French oak where it was matured for 12 months.

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 restigious 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, award-winning wines

With record breaking rainfall during the early growing season, the 2017 vintage was the slowest to get started in over a decade. The Shiraz vines benefited from the plentiful soil moisture, producing healthy canopies which supported plump fruit. The long, dry ripening period allowed the fruit to produce intensely coloured wines with typical blueberry and cherry flavours, while retaining a more elegant savoury tannin profile than warmer years.