Winery: John Duval Wines
Region: Barossa Valley
Variety: Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre
Vintage: 2009
Your Wine Guy says:
In the glass you’ll see the Plexus is dark crimson red colour with deep crimson rim. The nose is delightful and opens up to show aromas of raspberry, plum and blackberry mingling nicely with by some spice. The palate is luscious, medium to full bodied, and shows off those rich fruit flavours of blackberry, cherry and raspberry backed up with some light vanilla notes and spice. Very silky tannin structure makes the Plexus a very easy wine to finish, very good length of flavour too.
95 Points YWG Drink to 2018+
Critics say:
“The crimson-purple hue puts the often insipid colour of Barossa Valley SGMs to shame; the fragrant bouquet and vibrant black cherry and plum fruit of the palate likewise; quality French oak has been used to maximum advantage.”
96 Points Drink to 2024 James Halliday Wine Companion
The winemaker says:
Colour: Deep crimson purple-red.
Nose: Fragrant spice nose, combining aromatic red fruits and savoury notes.
Palate: A flavoursome compote of red and black fruits with a variety of spices. Youthful fine tannins balance the rich fruit intensity. Subtle oak adds to the structure and complexity.
My aim with Plexus is to express the wide spectrum of red fruit flavours from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre and also provide structure with a seamless balance and long finish. Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques are employed with Plexus, allowing the wine to be approachable in its youth, but also have great cellaring potential for improvement in the bottle for at least 8-10 years. – John Duval
Winery Information:
The following information was sourced from www.johnduvalwines.com
“Welcome to John Duval Wines. After 29 years as a winemaker with Penfolds, one of Australia's most famous wineries, I started my own wine label in 2003. I have had a fortunate career, graduating in agriculture and winemaking in 1973 at Adelaide University and then following in the footsteps of some of the greats of Australian winemaking such as Max Schubert, the creator of Penfolds Grange and Don Ditter, another famous Penfolds winemaker of the 1970s and early '80s.
I was appointed Chief Winemaker at Penfolds in 1986 and was lucky enough to oversee one of the most dynamic periods of change in the Australian wine industry. With the support of my team in the Barossa I secured a number of awards for the company - Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London in 1989; Red Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Challenge in London in 1991 and again in 2000; and seeing the 1990 Penfolds Grange named the Wine of the Year by the prestigious US magazine Wine Spectator in 1995.
Since leaving Penfolds I have consulted to a number of international wine companies in Europe, South America and Australia and I am a vintner partner in the Long Shadows venture in Washington State, US with our first 2003 Sequel Shiraz released in late 2005. In Chile I have helped to produce Pangea, highlighting the premium Syrah of the Apalta Valley. In Australia I consult to a project using old vine McLaren Vale Shiraz to produce Songlines Shiraz (sold in UK and Australia) and Oriel Sygnet (sold in the US).
As you can imagine I don't get enough time to spend at my home in the Barossa but I insist on securing at least four uninterrupted months around vintage to make my own wines. I love working with the fruit that comes from the old vines of the region, so I started with 'Plexus', a Rhone style blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre and in 2006 released my first Shiraz, 'Entity'. I have also released small quantities of a reserve Shiraz, Eligo, further highlighting the premium quality fruit from the Barossa.
John Duval Wines will never be another Penfolds - it is simply my chance to express my 30 odd years of premium winemaking knowledge using some of the best fruit in the world.
I hope you enjoy the wines.” - John Duval
John Duval Wines has a 5 Red Star Rating by James Halliday who writes: “John Duval is an internationally recognised winemaker, having been the custodian of Penfolds Grange for almost 30 years as part of his role as chief red winemaker at Penfolds. These days John is concentrating on establishing his own brand, and providing consultancy services to clients in various parts of the world. On the principle he is basing his business on Shiraz and Shiraz blends from old-vine vineyards in the Barossa Valley. The brand name Plexus denotes combining the different elements of shiraz/Grenache/Mourvèdre into a coherent structure. Exports to the UK, the US and other major markets.” James Halliday Wine Companion
Wines available from Your Wine Guy are:
Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre
Entity Shiraz
Eligo Shiraz |