Jim Barry, The McRae Wood Shiraz, Clare Valley

Deep inky/ruby colored with slight staining and a high viscosity (14.2% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe black plum, eucalyptus, licorice, baking spice, jammy brambleberry, vanilla, orange peel, and Turkish coffee. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins that are melding nicely. The richness of the fruit flavors is impressive- not jammy, but decadent. Ripe plums, bramble berry, oak nuance and that telltale eucalyptus all carry on to a long …

2014 vintage

Medium to full bodied. Bouquet and palate teaming with delicious soft fruits and delightful overtones of Eucalypt. The epitome of quality Clare. Not a hint of age, years to go.

2014 vintage

good but relatively generic mid level Shiraz

2014 vintage

The screwcap is a bit of a letdown and yea maybe we are old fashioned but that’s us. As textbook as it gets and lovely to cross paths with it with a bit of age too. Still though very much on the fruit, bright and punchy, good amount of oak and spice . Held its own vs Indian food and we are sure this would put a fight every time. Good 91

2014 vintage

A big wine with restraint. Milk chocolate, caramel, espresso notes, dark plum. Expressive fruit finish with soft, integrated tannins. Wonderfully aromatic.

2014 vintage

Good wine, not a great one. Luscious plums, prominent sweet spices, chocolate, tar and a full body and long finish. But undone by too little acid or other stricture, making it a bit flabby, much more so on the second night. Decent for the price but drink now, don’t hold

2014 vintage

Outstanding , dark wonderful wine. Amazing at this age

2002 vintage

The 2001 vintage started earlier than usual because of a very hot few weeks prior to picking. The vines were well protected by a good canopy growth in the spring and produced excellent fruit that showed intense, rich flavours, good structure and mature ripe tannins 18 months in American oak 100% Shiraz Cork closure from Magnum -cellar release Good solid natural cork 3-4mm penetration med garnet colour ,slight bricking ,Impenetrable , black hues 15/15 nose , super intense , mulberry …

2001 vintage

Eucalyptus, cocoa, coffee, black pepper Alcohol was a little high on the first night. Paired well with my steak, but probably would have been better with a braised or roasted meat, rather than grilled. Opened up a little more for me on the second night, but I was at my in-laws, so not terribly conducive for making tasting notes. Probably not a super helpful note. I thought is was an ok bottle, which for the price, isn’t saying much. I’ve …

2014 vintage

Ahh you little beauty. Back in the day I used to drink gallons of this stuff and wrote about the 2015 McRae Wood I recently tasted. This one, being a year older is still opaque ruby in the glass. The nose is quite pronounced with gorgeous aromas of sweet blackberry, black plum, vanilla laced blueberry pie, baking spice, red licorice and orange peel. The palate is as hoped for- dry with great acidity, smooth tannins, full body and a long …

2014 vintage

Lively, elegant, fully mature mix of leather, cinnamon and liquorice flavours with firm, old dried fruit, soft tannins and well balanced, gentle acidity. A really enjoyable, classy wine possibly just past it's peak but continues to drink well.

1995 vintage

Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 01/24/20 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA) : “100% estate grown Shiraz; FR (although the U.S. distributor also mentions AM) oak; 14.0% ABV, 6.2g/L T.A., & 3.6 pH;” N: VANILLA atop ripe berries with hints of pyrazines; Intensity lurking? P: Med body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it seamlessly evolves into …

2014 vintage

Deep garnet in color. Nose of blackberries, dark cherries, leather and menthol. Taste of blackberries, dark cherries, cranberries, licorice, and hint of tar. Very young but heavy licorice flavor that takes away from some of the fruit.Pronounced acidity. May continue to evolve. Drink in 3 to 5 years.

2001 vintage

$55.00 could be touch better for a price

2014 vintage

Rich nose with dark berries, oak. On the palate full bodied, fine fruit, but also great balance and length.

2014 vintage

Still amazing. This was my last bottle. Must find another vintage.

2002 vintage

Drunk from 375 ml bottle over two days. Sweet cassis and eucalyptys on the nose. Complex and nice body, very elegant for a shiraz. Day 2: opens up greatly. Nice tannin strucured and acidity. Still a lot of cassis. Very nice wine.

2014 vintage

375 ml bottle. Opaque. Brown butter and dark fruits on the nose. Add eucalyptus and saddle leather on the palate. Been a while since I had an Aussie shiraz. Lovely.

2014 vintage

Tasted after 2015 Jim Barry Shiraz The Lodge Hill. More depth and complexity, less fruit driven. Spicy, smoky, dark fruit, liquorice. On the palate again spicy, good acidity, generous fruit, herbal notes. Very good length. 91-92+

2014 vintage

Smooth an d clean recommended by ahop keeper. Happy and went well with Thai dinner

2014 vintage

Concentrated with subtle dark berry fruits and pepper. Silky smooth palate but opened far too young- seemed a little lacking in depth. Went well with a rib-eye steak but not good enough yet to take centre-stage: the wine complemented the spectacular food not the other way round.

2014 vintage

Tasting at Jim Barry Cellar Door (Clare) : Leafy leather, dark fruit. Juicy and lush. Far too young. Black/blue fruit, juicy ash, fruity tannins. layered, complex, yet transparent. Sweet spices, finishing with a twist of white pepper.

2014 vintage

Negociants Australia Portfolio Tasting 2017 : Mint, blackcurrant, tar, ash and cherry. Bold on the palate, the fruit is fairly dense, though it does have some lift to it and a cooling element from the mint. Nice length.

2014 vintage

Mature appearence, bouquet and taste. Nose is particularly attractive with lots of red fruit and vanilla. Palate is well balanced, fully mature with stacks of red current an damson flavours.

1995 vintage

shared with pat at selkirk manor to celebrate the end of the work week. i had been staying away from australia after suffering with another producer's fiasco involving a purchased grape second release following a high parker rating. i acquired this bottle in a barter arrangement with a friend who prefers to drink wine at a lower price point. this bottle reminded me that better quality aussie shiraz should not be overlooked. this is a big wine in every respect. …

2002 vintage

The smell of blackcurrant is incredible. Really powerful Shiraz but it copes with its 15 1/2 % alcohol really well. Probably shouldn't keep much longer but still drinking well.

2002 vintage

Pristine bottle, level into neck, perfect cork. Not decanted, served at 16C/61F. At five years of age this was a very impressive but nigh undrinkable overripe monster. Three years ago it seemed to be ill at ease with itself. Today this is still turbo-charged Australian Shiraz in overdrive, but the decade or so of bottle age has brought out the minerality and Clare Valley freshness (TA is nothing less than 6.80 gr/l) that are also present and give a lovely …

2002 vintage

Clear rim, turning brick red.Lovely mature nose of red fruit and vanilla. Palate is well balanced, a mix of elegant, rich damson and red cherry flavours with cedar wood and vanilla. This has matured into a classy mouthful and will continue to develop over the next 5 to 8 years.

1995 vintage

at it's peak

2002 vintage

Deep red colour, brick edge. Lovely, rich, powerful blend of mature black fruit, soft tannins and stylish oak flavours. Very classy wine with plenty of backbone and another 7 to 8 years ahead.

1995 vintage

Beautiful rich fruit on the palate. Very full bodied - dense on the palate and very rich but with a smooth finish. Drinking very well right now.

2002 vintage

Special late harvest, weighing in at 15.5%. Almost black still. Incredibly medicinal, immense power and weight from the fruit, liquid minerals, very deep, massive even, but with clear surmaturité particularly on the finish. Acidity keeps everything together, oak and tannins are fully absorbed. Very impressive but something seems wrong. Hard to score. Hence a cowardly 90. Now - 2014.

2002 vintage

Massive wine

2002 vintage

Deep purple colour - beautiful nose full of red fruit - cheeries. Still very full bodied on the palate but the tannins have softened nicely. Somewhat of a sweet finish. Drinking very well right now although it probably has a few years left in it.

2002 vintage

My last bottle. Thought time was running out, but I was wrong. Still a powerful wine. Maybe a little over extracted, but I'm lovin it.

2001 vintage

Extreme taste. Very very expresive. Painting the glass and the decanter deeply red. Full bodied fruit, eucalyptic, cherries. Missing a real spine. Very very typical taste. Nt sure what to think about it. Not erverybody loved the wine. I did.....

2002 vintage

See former notes. Great shyraz.....

2002 vintage

Opened 2 hours in front. Dark full bodied. Smoke, vanilla, dark cherrie, eucalyptus. Real ozzie shiraz fruit bomb. Velvetty, glass painting. Super.........Wish I had more than the one that is left in my cellar. Ccan easily go a few more years. I drink it again in 2013.

2002 vintage

P&P. Color dark red with lots of black hues, opaque, full body. Initial nose was big ripe blackberries and vanilla. After a couple hours, more nuances emerged, including a lovely floral quality, a thread of eucalyptus, licorice, tar, and cedar all in nice proportions. On the attack there are deep blackberries moderately sweet but not like an OTT bomb, then melding into cassis, juicy red cherries, licorice, lots of milk and dark chocolate, and some oak. A long 35-40s finish …

2002 vintage

Favorable initial impressions of stewed dark fruits with cherry cola overtones quickly become overwhelmed by too much tobacco and oak in my opinion - maybe I've just become accustomed to the currently more prevalent Aussie fruit bombs...

2002 vintage

Very similar to the last bottle, a little more smoothed out mellow. Still berries and cinnamon, a slight mint flavor as well. Paired with chili-dogs, actually worked very well. Rich, ripe fruit. Good structure and balance. The spice and mint add some interesting character.

2002 vintage

Showing beautifully tonight. Consistent with previous notes. I wish I had more of these.

2002 vintage

Pop-n-pour. It took about an hour to open up in the glass but when it did it was worth the wait. Lovely weight, good balance, very smooth with a medium finish. I got cassis, stewed dark friut, some licorice and a touch of oak on the palate. Drinking much better than the '03 at this point, I'll open my last bottle in five years (2013).

2002 vintage

Amazin, rich deep concentrated mouthfeel of cassis, meat and dark inky purple goodness.

2002 vintage

Consistent with previous notes--beautifully balanced, delicious wine. Complex nose; flavors of chocolate, raspberries, blackberries and spice.

2002 vintage

Still displaying deep ruby/purple colour. Medium/pronounced nose with plenty of black fruit and hints of spice. The palette revealed much of the same, although I do feel that this wine is at its best now and if anything is starting to show signs of age. So drink up soon! Very good

2001 vintage

Fruit forward, lots of red raspberry. Complex mid-palate of minerals & spice, nice round finish. Excellent.

2002 vintage

Deep dark ruby colors, leggy, with an aroma that just hits your nose at full speed (and this is after an hour of breathing air). Wet leather, jammy, and absolutely delicious. I will be looking to buy more of this fantastic wine.

2002 vintage

Decented for 1 hour. Interesting nose of dark fruit, tar, smoke and sweet oak. Full-bodied palate of stewed fruits, licorice, earth and spice. While chewy, not the "in your face" style of Aussie shiraz. I liked this alot.

2002 vintage

A wine of enormous proportions, reminiscent of (almost) dry vintage port; very ripe sweet fruit, toasty new oak, very dominant eucalyptus; very, very, big but not unwieldy as acidity is adequate, juicy; peppery finish, a bit hot, good length. Not a food wine.

2002 vintage

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Jim Barry, The McRae Wood Shiraz, Clare Valley

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