John Duval, 'Entity' Barossa Shiraz 2018

PRODUCER

One of the world’s great winemakers, John Duval was given the ‘Grange’ torch by Max Schubert, the man who created Australia’s most famous wine. John passed it on to his successor when he left Penfolds in 2003 to start his own label. He sources fruit from long- time friends in the Barossa, all of whom own vineyards with vines aged from 50 to 100 years old. The wines are made with minimal intervention and showcase the best of the Barossa.

VINEYARDS

Shiraz fruit was sourced from some of the oldest vineyards in the Krondorf, Ebenezer, Moppa, Light Pass regions of the north and east Barossa. For the 2018 vintage, 52% of the Shiraz comes from cooler sites in the Eden Valley, to maintain the elegant style of this wine.

VINTAGE

Winter was wetter than usual and was followed by a warm and dry spring, ensuring a good flowering and healthy vine canopies. Very dry conditions through summer required careful management in the vineyards to preserve the vine health however weather was perfect throughout the harvest period and the quality of the fruit, in particular that from the Eden Valley, was exceptional.

VINIFICATION

Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques were employed with 'Entity'. The parcels of fruit were fermented separately in small stainless-steel fermenters with submerged caps and twice daily pump-overs. After fermentation, the wines were aged for 15 months in fine grain French oak hogsheads, a third of which were new.

TASTING NOTES

This wine is a vibrant purple-red in colour with aromas of violets, boysenberry and blackcurrants with notes of anise and cloves. On the palate, fine tannins are balanced by the vibrant acidity. This wine has fresh flavours of plum and blueberries complemented by hints of cedar and earthy spices.