2012 'The McRae Wood' Shiraz, Jim Barry - Aged Release
Clare Valley, Australia
The Hidden Gem
An aged Clare Valley Shiraz with serious pedigree. Drawn partly from fruit originally destined for the iconic Armagh vineyard, the 2012 shows remarkable depth and composure. Aromas of dark berries, black plum and sweet tobacco unfold alongside smoky spice and cracked pepper. Time in the bottle has softened the edges, revealing layers of ripe fruit, savoury complexity and fine tannins. Rich, polished and beautifully evolved, it finishes long with lingering spice and dark fruit.
For when: the moment deserves something special.
Pairs with: slow-braised beef, roast lamb shoulder, or aged cheddar.
If this wine were a place: an old cellar stacked with bottles and stories.
Producer
Producer: Jim Barry Wines, Clare Valley, South Australia
Certain names resonate strongly within Australian wine history, and Jim Barry is one of them. Widely regarded as a pioneer of the Clare Valley, Jim Barry was the region’s first qualified winemaker, graduating from Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. In 1959, he founded Jim Barry Wines, helping establish Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world-class Riesling and Shiraz.
The McRae Wood vineyard traces its origins to 1964, when Jim and Nancy Barry purchased 70 acres of prime farmland from their neighbour Duncan McRae Wood and planted their first Shiraz vines. Today the wine is crafted from select parcels across the family’s Clare Valley vineyards, often including fruit declassified from the legendary Armagh site. The 2012 vintage was released in 2024 as part of the Jim Barry Aged Release program, allowing the wine to mature in the cellar before reaching drinkers at its most expressive stage. Still family owned and run by three generations of the Barry family, the winery was named Winery of the Year in the 2020 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
Whats in the bottle
100% Shiraz
Notable Awards
94 points, James Halliday