2016 John Duval Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre

A blend of 53% Shiraz, 29% Grenache and 18% Mourvedre. The Shiraz was sourced from old vineyards in the Krondorf, Ebenezer and Eden Valley regions, Grenache from the Tanunda, Ebenezer and Greenock regions and Mourvèdre from the Light Pass and Ebenezer regions. Maturation took place in French oak for 15 months. Totally opaque black dark red core with a deep bright dark red hue. Elevated dark raspberry, plum and liquorice aromas are interwoven with vanillin cedar, hints of earthy dark chocolate and spice. Rich, plush and velvety the palate features generous blackberry, liquorice and dark raspberry flavours which meld into vanillin cedar and light earth. Spicy finish with seamlessly integrated, silky smooth tannins. Combines richness with elegance concluding long with a spicy blackberry, dark raspberry, liquorice, vanillin cedar and subtle earth aftertaste.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
A 52/30/18% blend open-fermented separately, the grenache with up to 20% whole bunches, matured for 15 months in French hogsheads (13% new). This is a very good Barossa Valley SGM, looking to the future rather than the past. While the flavours are complex, there is a lightness of touch ex the winery after careful monitoring of ripeness in the vineyards. Thus it has the best of both worlds, and by rights should please everyone with its mix of cherry, plum and blackberry couched in savoury tannins on the finish. Drink by 2026.
95 points
James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion

Shiraz 52%, grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 18%. All sourced from old vineyards across the Barossa and Eden valleys. Interestingly the grenache component sees 20% whole bunches. It’s mostly aged in old (up to 8 years) oak though there’s a 13% new (French) oak component. Everything about this wine seems meticulously managed and crafted.
If you wanted to show someone the beauty of the GSM blend, you’d do well to show them this. It’s spot on. The spice, the florals, the rakes of dry tannin, the curls of anise, black cherry and woodsmoke. It’s not a big wine but it has a seriousness, a presence. The tannin in this wine; it sparks its way through from the mid palate on. Can’t fault this. It’s beautifully put together. Drink 2018-2025.
94 points
Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front