Nose: High intensity. Dark fruits, cocoa nibs, touch of eucalypt and subtle oak. Palate: Seamless. All at 15.5%ABV, handles it well. Dark fruits, spice, gentle tannins. Medium body and acid. Long finish.
Drinking beautifully but still a bit left in the tank.
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Bordering on being an outstanding wine but missed it by a small margin. A full body wine, savoury, full mouthfeel and a terrific finish. On tasting, you will get dark fruit flavours with a hint of spice and perhaps smokiness. What stopped it from being an outstanding wine was perhaps a lack of depth of flavours and a lack of minerality. A terrific drop however, highly recommended.
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Very big, rich, deep—a great example of Jim Barry Shiraz. So good it’s hard to imagine that the Armagh could be much bigger, though it probably is. My regret is that I didn’t buy more of this vintage.
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Aromas of black fruits ,plums and oak.soft tannins,riped fruits taste and dark color.no need for decant.i think it would be much better if it was a few years younger.
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At 12 years still deeply coloured and flavoured wine - purple/black. Intense aromas of blackberry, blackcurrent, cassis, dark plums, dark cherry and some spices in the cloves/cinnamon sphere. A wonderful dark fruity palate with a touch of licorice and great acid to cleanse the palate of this very dense wine. It's got very ripe fruit - bordering on being porty and yet it maintains a good freshness. We had it with three cheeses and went well, but would also be great with hearty Winter casseroles. This is a most impressive wine for this age drinking superbly and another decade left I'd suggest.
The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Black currant (cassis). It tastes like and Coffee. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Juicy texture. The wine finishes Medium. It tastes like and Black currant (cassis).
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Well, I agree with my previous notes on aroma and flavour, but I found this bottle to be quite 'hot', in the alcohol sense. That's when I noticed the 15.5% on the bottle. It may be the 32 degree outside that influenced me, but the high alcohol seemed to dim some of the enjoyment.
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A deeply coloured and flavoured wine. Purple/black. Intense aromas of blackberry, tar, plum, cherry, eucalypt and cloves/cinammon. Similar on the palate, but also with licorice, chocolate and vanilla oak in the background. Nice complexity - the longer it was open the better it got. It's very ripe - bordering on porty - but maintains a good freshness. Probably almost at its peak, but could sit for another few years. A good one for a strong cheddar! A real crowd pleaser.
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Mint, blackberry and chocolate on nose. Oppulent with medium ripe and supple tannins offering leather, blackberry and mint. Reliable, international style. Lacks midpalate concentration.
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Aiolos 2011 wine tasting. This is an extremely reliable cuvee, with admirable consistency vintage after vintage. Very dark opaq. Pronounced mint, dark chocolate (think of a godiva mint chocolate), ripe blueberry, sweet spice. Full-bodied and dense, with soft tannins, big fruit and balancing acidity. Very long aftertaste. Perfect if you like this style.
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Full throttle with layers of dark fruit, vanilla and cherry notes. Very smooth indeed, the tannins really just melts on the tongue. Everybody seemed too like it, me included, though i found it a tad too sweet.
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Bold up front and very jammy. Strong black cherry. Easy tannins for a wine this strong. The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blueberry, and Stoniness. It tastes like Black currant (cassis), and Blackberry. The body is Full. The wine is textured Polished. The wine finishes Medium.
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It is difficult to keep some character at 15.5% alcohol, but least this one tried it. Massive concentration and ripe tannins for this Australian syrah that really improved next day. I would give it ten years before opening my next bottle.
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Dark dense red, right to the rim. Soft and open nose with raspberry and plum fruit. Velvety texture with lingering sweet spicy oak and berry fruit flavours.
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Opaque dark crimson, with tinges of purple. Concentrated complex nose with everything, perfumed red berries, violets, sweet oak, intense spice box aromas, more more! Intense palate with more of the same, slippery full but not overblown palate, with heaps of licorice and coffee. Wonderful structure and finishes long. Yee Ha!
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This is a beautiful monster of a wine. Ripe, concentrated red/black fruits like cherry, plum, and blackberries. Chewy, dense flavors; very dark purple color; a smoky, earthy finish and fine, integrated tannins. A memorable syrah moment. Looking to buy 6 bottles to cellar and see how it develops. Wow.
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Deep glossy garnet. Powerful and aromatic; rich cassis, blackcurrant and liquorice with young spicy oak on the nose. Medium bodied with fresh acidity and fine, dry tannins. Vibrant blackcurrant fruit on the palate, long and flavoursome with tones of leather, mocha and spicy new oak. Good.
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10/31/2020 - Wall_Bangers Likes this wine: 95 Points
Good cork.
Deep colour with brick rim.
Nose: High intensity. Dark fruits, cocoa nibs, touch of eucalypt and subtle oak.
Palate: Seamless. All at 15.5%ABV, handles it well. Dark fruits, spice, gentle tannins. Medium body and acid. Long finish.
Drinking beautifully but still a bit left in the tank.
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6/17/2020 - PeterjW Likes this wine: 92 Points
lovely fruit driven nose with jammy black fruit gently spice and fine tannins
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6/1/2020 - tanduybui Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bordering on being an outstanding wine but missed it by a small margin. A full body wine, savoury, full mouthfeel and a terrific finish. On tasting, you will get dark fruit flavours with a hint of spice and perhaps smokiness. What stopped it from being an outstanding wine was perhaps a lack of depth of flavours and a lack of minerality. A terrific drop however, highly recommended.
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5/17/2020 - Oenophile911 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic bottle of wine. Was wonderful on opening and got better through the evening once it opened up.
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5/12/2020 - swiftr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very big, rich, deep—a great example of Jim Barry Shiraz. So good it’s hard to imagine that the Armagh could be much bigger, though it probably is. My regret is that I didn’t buy more of this vintage.
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2/6/2019 - Binkey wrote: 91 Points
Aromas of black fruits ,plums and oak.soft tannins,riped fruits taste and dark color.no need for decant.i think it would be much better if it was a few years younger.
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8/13/2018 - NoelB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely SA Shiraz drinking perfectly, though it got better in the glass, so still getting better.
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7/6/2018 - NoelB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just perfect
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6/18/2017 - F1NUT Likes this wine: 93 Points
At 12 years still deeply coloured and flavoured wine - purple/black. Intense aromas of blackberry, blackcurrent, cassis, dark plums, dark cherry and some spices in the cloves/cinnamon sphere. A wonderful dark fruity palate with a touch of licorice and great acid to cleanse the palate of this very dense wine. It's got very ripe fruit - bordering on being porty and yet it maintains a good freshness. We had it with three cheeses and went well, but would also be great with hearty Winter casseroles. This is a most impressive wine for this age drinking superbly and another decade left I'd suggest.
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10/18/2013 - Chariot1 Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Black currant (cassis). It tastes like and Coffee. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Juicy texture. The wine finishes Medium.
It tastes like and Black currant (cassis).
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3/3/2013 - peterseville Likes this wine:
Lovely, but the high alcohol content is noticeable.
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1/11/2013 - azzah wrote: 91 Points
Well, I agree with my previous notes on aroma and flavour, but I found this bottle to be quite 'hot', in the alcohol sense. That's when I noticed the 15.5% on the bottle. It may be the 32 degree outside that influenced me, but the high alcohol seemed to dim some of the enjoyment.
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5/29/2012 - azzah wrote: 93 Points
A deeply coloured and flavoured wine. Purple/black. Intense aromas of blackberry, tar, plum, cherry, eucalypt and cloves/cinammon. Similar on the palate, but also with licorice, chocolate and vanilla oak in the background. Nice complexity - the longer it was open the better it got. It's very ripe - bordering on porty - but maintains a good freshness. Probably almost at its peak, but could sit for another few years. A good one for a strong cheddar! A real crowd pleaser.
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10/11/2011 - Dokken wrote: 88 Points
Mint, blackberry and chocolate on nose. Oppulent with medium ripe and supple tannins offering leather, blackberry and mint. Reliable, international style. Lacks midpalate concentration.
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10/10/2011 - Yiannis wrote: 92 Points
Aiolos 2011 wine tasting. This is an extremely reliable cuvee, with admirable consistency vintage after vintage. Very dark opaq. Pronounced mint, dark chocolate (think of a godiva mint chocolate), ripe blueberry, sweet spice. Full-bodied and dense, with soft tannins, big fruit and balancing acidity. Very long aftertaste. Perfect if you like this style.
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5/29/2011 - Frommen wrote: 90 Points
Full throttle with layers of dark fruit, vanilla and cherry notes. Very smooth indeed, the tannins really just melts on the tongue. Everybody seemed too like it, me included, though i found it a tad too sweet.
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1/26/2011 - ctuckvan wrote: 91 Points
Bold up front and very jammy. Strong black cherry. Easy tannins for a wine this strong.
The wine looks Ruby colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blueberry, and Stoniness.
It tastes like Black currant (cassis), and Blackberry.
The body is Full.
The wine is textured Polished.
The wine finishes Medium.
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12/7/2010 - azahoner wrote: 87 Points
It is difficult to keep some character at 15.5% alcohol, but least this one tried it. Massive concentration and ripe tannins for this Australian syrah that really improved next day. I would give it ten years before opening my next bottle.
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7/8/2010 - spatialiser wrote: 90 Points
[Tasted at Reserve Wines Summer Fair]
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6/7/2010 - Jaynaisbitt wrote: 92 Points
Blackcurrants, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, mocha with eucolyptus and menthe. 45 second finish. Delightful but my goodness it's heavy on the alcohol!
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5/10/2010 - Biggsy wrote: 90 Points
Dark dense red, right to the rim. Soft and open nose with raspberry and plum fruit. Velvety texture with lingering sweet spicy oak and berry fruit flavours.
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4/5/2010 - Wade Instone wrote: 96 Points
Opaque dark crimson, with tinges of purple. Concentrated complex nose with everything, perfumed red berries, violets, sweet oak, intense spice box aromas, more more! Intense palate with more of the same, slippery full but not overblown palate, with heaps of licorice and coffee. Wonderful structure and finishes long. Yee Ha!
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11/16/2009 - DadsWine wrote: 92 Points
This is a beautiful monster of a wine. Ripe, concentrated red/black fruits like cherry, plum, and blackberries. Chewy, dense flavors; very dark purple color; a smoky, earthy finish and fine, integrated tannins. A memorable syrah moment. Looking to buy 6 bottles to cellar and see how it develops. Wow.
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9/24/2009 - Biggsy wrote: 88 Points
Deep glossy garnet. Powerful and aromatic; rich cassis, blackcurrant and liquorice with young spicy oak on the nose. Medium bodied with fresh acidity and fine, dry tannins. Vibrant blackcurrant fruit on the palate, long and flavoursome with tones of leather, mocha and spicy new oak. Good.
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8/28/2009 - peterseville wrote:
Typical Aussie shiraz, but an excellent version. 15.5% alcohol makes this a little hot on the palate, though.
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