Shiraz “Watervale Single Vineyard” 2020 – Jim Barry

The Shiraz Watervale Single Vineyard Jim Barry’s 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 a tank before the wine was racked to French oak for 12 months maturation.

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.

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 winemakers, commercial manager and brand ambassador respectively. Voted ‘Winery of the Year’ by Matthew Jukes they produce highly acclaimed and award-winning wines.