2018 Jim Barry Assyrtiko

Community Tasting Notes (13) Avg Score: 89.3 points

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  4/26/2024 - colinscellar Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Lots of fresh acidity. Salinity and fresh limes are the dominant flavours, mouthfeel starting to round out, some softening from the few years I suspect. Great aperitif.

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  5/21/2023 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  The Assyrtiko vines that produce the fruit from this wine are cuttings brought from Argyros, a Santorini producer making some of the greatest Assyrtikos in the world. The vines were planted in 2012 at the Lodge Hill vineyard, Clare Valley. 12.5% alcohol, 3 g/l residual sugar, 6,9 g/l acidity, pH 2,8. Tasted blind.
  
  Still very youthful, palish lime-green color. The nose feels somewhat closed and slightly gaseous with a bit reductive aromas of white currants, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of zesty lemon character, light leesy nuances, a hint of candied primary fruit and a touch of flint smoke. The nose opens up and loses some of that reduction with air, but doesn't clear fully. The wine feels ripe yet very brisk and dry on the palate with a light body and crisp flavors of lemony citrus fruits and tart Granny Smith apple, some gaseous notes of reduction, a little bit of leesy character, light grassy herbal nuances, a hint of fresh white currant and a touch of tangy salinity. The bracing acidity lends remarkable freshness and electric energy to the wine without making it come across as too high-strung. The palate-cleansing finish is crisp, long and acid-driven with a dry aftertaste of Granny Smith apple, some pithy notes of pomelo and lemony citrus fruit, light steely mineral tones, a little bit of leesy character, a hint of tangy salinity and a grassy touch of herby character.
  
  A nice, crisp and very racy wine that is still super-youthful; the wine feels virtually unchanged to the bottle we tasted more than three years ago. However, the wine feels more like a Clare Valley white than an Assyrtiko - just as last time, my guess was a Clare Valley Riesling, and when I was told that it wasn't it, my second guess was Eden Valley Riesling. The style here is much more Australian than Assyrtiko - while a nice wine in its own right, this is still lacking the punch, depth and concentration showed by the best Assyrtikos of Santorini. A nice wine, but really I don't know how long it should be aged before it starts to lose its primary fruit flavors and smoky reductive characteristics. Maybe a bit pricey for the quality at 23,98€.

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  5/16/2023 - The Wine Dispatch [b2w.wine] Likes this wine:

  Very riesling like, very petrol. But beneath that petrol, one of the most delicate and vibrant wines I've had in a while. Highly recomend

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  6/14/2022 - BcDuncan wrote: 88 Points

  quite refresching; Azzertiko very interesting grape

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  1/27/2022 - Redback Likes this wine:

  Very similar to a Clare riesling. Crisp and lemon flavours. Good match with seafood on a hot day.

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View all 13 Community Tasting Notes

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