2023 John Duval Entity Shiraz

A plush, yet quite refined Barossa Shiraz.

With nearly 30 years spent making Penfolds Grange and developing the RWT label at Penfolds, John Duval qualifies as one of Australia's living wine legends. In 2003 he launched John Duval Wines and wasted no time sourcing some of South Australia's finest fruit. “After 35 years in the business, I know who the best growers are,” comments Duval. Today, John is joined by his son Tim who assists with both winemaking and marketing.
Fruit was sourced from old vineyards in the Krondorf, Tanunda, Marananga, Ebenezer, Moppa and Eden Valley districts, the final blend being made from 65% Barossa Valley and 35% Eden Valley fruit. Maturation took place in French oak (25% new) for a period of 15 months.
Impenetrable midnight black core with a dark red black tinged hue. Dark plum, liquorice and blackberry scents waft through the olfactory senses followed by some blueberry, spicy vanillin cedar, subtle dark chocolate, fennel and peppered earth notes. Rich, plush and quite refined in its flow across the palate, dark plum, liquorice and ripe blueberry fruits meld into a spicy vanillin cedar, fennel and peppered earth back drop. Fine grained tannins with good underlying freshness to the elegant finish that shows good length.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews……
A wonderfully pure-smelling shiraz from John Duval from grapes sourced across a number of Barossan subregions – Krondorf, Marananga, Ebenezer, Moppa and Eden Valley. There is a real plushness to the fruit here; all juicy doris plum, blueberry and boysenberry with hints of licorice, violets, roasting meats, citrus blossom and earth. The silty tannins drift way back in the fruit this year and the finish is long and graceful, with the real spotlight on that fruit purity. Drink by 2040.
96 Points
Dave Brookes - James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

Aromas of dark cherries, plums, blueberries, tobacco leaves, cedar and lifted spices. The palate is full-bodied with finely grained tannins and a rounded mouthfeel, giving flavors of blackberries, mulberry bush and coffee beans. Nicely weighted and silky smooth. 35% of its fruit is sourced from high-elevation Eden Valley vineyards. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
94 Points
JamesSuckling.com