John Duval Eligo Shiraz Barossa Valley Australia 2017
(Wine Advocate Score 95+) This 2017 Eligo Shiraz smells like it's going to be monstrously huge—the nose is charry, spicy and dense. However, in the mouth, there is a bright, vibrant lightness to the core of red fruit. It's spectacular. There is black cherry, raspberry pip, damson, red apple skins and salted licorice. I always think it a great thing when sweet fruit is tempered by either salty/savory spice or a hint of hung deli meat. It's the yin to the yang, and it's here. Very good. Drink it now through to 2037.
Shiraz 100%. Eligo represents the best of my 2016 vintage and is sourced from some excellent Shiraz vineyards in the Barossa Valley (75%) and Eden Valley (25%) regions.
My aim with Eligo is to produce a structured but elegant expression of Barossa Shiraz. A wine with restrained power, rich texture and palate length. Eligo is a vineyard selection of the best, low yielding parcels of exceptional fruit that I find during the vintage.
100% barrel matured for 20 months with 50% new fine grain French oak hogsheads (300 litre) and the balance 2 and 3 year old hogsheads.| Winery | John Duval |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Region | South Australia |
| Specific Appellation | Barossa Valley |
| Wine Type | Red Wine |
| Grape variety | Shiraz / Syrah |
| Bottle Size | Bottle |
| Vintage | 2017 |
Browse all John Duval Wines
Born from a career spanning 30 years at the pinnacle of Australian winemaking at Penfolds, and with knowledge handed down through 5 generations, today John Duval Wines has identified exceptional old vineyards to provide a collection of distinctly Barossan wines defined by balance and structure.
John Duval graduated from Adelaide University’s Roseworthy College in 1973, and secured a coveted winemaking role with Penfolds for the 1974 vintage. Over the next 12 years John was mentored by Grange creator Max Schubert and Penfolds Chief Winemaker Don Ditter, before himself assuming the position of Chief Winemaker in 1986. In doing so, John became only the third Chief Winemaker responsible for producing Australia’s greatest red wine – Penfolds Grange.
After 29 years at Penfolds John sensed the need to embark on a personal wine project. A new challenge that would allow him to be involved first hand from vineyard to glass, and provide an opportunity to build something for his family. John Duval Wines began in 2003 with a single wine, the inaugural vintage of Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvédre. A second wine was added in 2004 - Entity, made entirely from Barossa Shiraz, followed in 2005 by a reserve Shiraz – Eligo. The first white Plexus, a blend of Marsanne Roussanne and Viognier, was released from the 2010 vintage, with Annexus Grenache (2013) and Annexus Mataro (2016) created to showcase exceptional small parcels of heritage varietals that define Barossa as one of the world’s great wine regions.
Rather than seeking to simply emulate Penfolds, the aim of John Duval Wines is to perpetuate the story of a South Australian wine family through a collection of structured and elegant wines made from fruit grown in exceptional old Barossa vineyards.
