Clare Valley’s Jim Barry is a name known around the world – a byword for quality and wine expertise. A founding member of Australia’s First Families of Wine, the Barry family celebrated the 60th anniversary of its winery in 2020, the year it also scooped the title of Halliday’s ‘Winery of the Year’. Over three generations the Barry name has been famous throughout the wine world and synonymous with the Clare Valley. Jim Barry bought his first vineyard here in 1959, and even helped the Taylor family open their winery a decade later. Son Peter took over Jim Barry in 1985, and today brothers Tom and Sam, with sister Olivia, have raised the bar even higher. Tom and Sam have been shortlisted for Halliday's Winemaker of the Year 2026. This is a new exclusive, a succulent Malbec from the Clare Valley's high altitude Eastern Ranges.

Savour a delicious 93p Malbec with with "fabulous fruit concentration" (Halliday) from a cool-climate single vineyard and the excellent Bryan Currie. Though a Hunter Valley winery, Hungerford Hill uses fruit from both Tumbarumba and Hilltops (they were the first winery to use Tumbarumba fruit, the second to use fruit from Hilltops). “Ripe, plush, weighty and inviting with fabulous fruit concentration and a faint sanguine edge. Dark berry fruit plus scented red rose petals and a hint of musk. Just the right amount of varietal rusticity. 93pts” (Toni Paterson, The Halliday Wine Companion).

The first time we saw this funky little label it was showcasing a plush, aromatic Malbec. It’s back, and there’ll be plenty who will welcome it fondly! The name? Somewhat academic but a Mach number is defined as the ratio of two speeds. An aircraft travelling at Mach 2 is going twice the speed of sound, which itself is affected by composition and temperature. Dig a little deeper and you'll come across terms such as 'compressible flow' ... and if you're someone who is more interested in the social side of wine enjoyment rather than the science behind it, you'll probably be wanting to stop reading and pour yourself a glass of this juicy and very delicious Malbec showing swathes of fruit to coat your tastebuds.