John Duval Plexus Red Barossa 2021
This Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre blend has lifted vibrant black fruits on the nose with underlying notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and smoke. Generous, velvety layers of red and black fruits abound on the palate, with abundant savoury spice, fine, soft tannins, and bright acidity ensuring a long and pure finish.
The Shiraz grapes were sourced from old vineyards in the Krondorf, and Tanunda subregions of Barossa, while the Grenache grapes were sourced from vineyards located in the Moppa, Greenock, Ebenezer and Tanunda areas. The Mourvèdre was sourced from the Ebenezer and Light Pass regions.
The parcels of fruit were fermented separately with a submerged cap in small open stainless-steel fermenters. A portion of the Grenache ferment included whole bunches to accentuate the savoury aspects of the variety. The wines were matured in barrel for 15 months, with 15% in new fine grain French oak hogsheads and 85% in older seasoned hogsheads.
John Duval Wines began with a single wine and grew over two decades to become one of the Barossa’s most celebrated producers. John Duval is the sixth generation of his family to grow grapes in South Australia but only the first to transition from grape growing to winemaking. He began his winemaking career at Penfolds in 1974. Here, he was mentored for 12 years by the legendary Max Schubert, creator of ‘Grange', one of Australia’s most coveted wines. In 1986, John was appointed Chief Winemaker at Penfolds, where he continued the ‘Grange’ legacy, making some of its most celebrated vintages, before leaving to found his own eponymous winery in 2003.
Rather than trying to emulate Penfolds, John has carved out his own expressive style which honours the Duval family history by working with growers with exceptional vineyards. These are wines with a sense of place that champion old Barossan vines. In 2016, John Duval Wines welcomed their next generation, as eldest son Tim joined the family wine business to work alongside his father.
John and Tim source fruit from long-time friends in the Barossa, whose low-yielding vines are aged from 50 to well over 100 years old. Showcasing the best of the region, their wines are made with minimal intervention and are characterised by an elegant purity that differs from the classic, rich Barossa style.
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