2019 John Duval Plexus Red Barossa Valley Australia

John Duval's wines have managed to transcend the entire world and seduce the most demanding palates.John Duval delivers delicate, modern, and unpretentious wines that are so beautifully attached to the Barossa Valley terroir and will immediately transport you to the land of kangaroos!

John Duval is one of Australia's most renowned winemakers and with more than 35 years of experience in the industry, he is an "Australian Wine Legend" as Robert Parker named him in 2010.

The last name Duval has a long history in the world of wine in Australia.For more than 100 years, the family vineyards supplied grapes to the best winemakers in South Australia.

John Duval Wines vineyards date from the second half of the 19th century and are built on more than 30 years of experience in Australian winemaking and more than 5 generations of experts in the field and wine. John Duval was the visionary from the family who transitioned from only selling grapes to making his own wines.

John Duval studied at the University of Adelaide in 1973 and by the 1974 vintage, he began working at the acclaimed Penfolds winery. At Penfolds, John Duval apprenticed to Don Ditter and Max Schubert, creators of Australia's most famous and iconic wine called “Grange”. Duval displayed his winemaking skills and became the third winemaker in 1986.

John played a very important role in the positioning and worldwide recognition of the Penfolds winery.During his more than 29 years at Penfolds, Duval became a world-renowned star winemaker, some of his accolades include being named UK Wine and Spirit Competition's International Winemaker of the Year, Red Winemaker of the Year (twice), and receiving Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year award.

In 2003, John Duval began producing his own wine, the first label he released was “Plexus”. In “Plexus”, the Shiraz and Garnacha predominate, and they’re perfectly complemented with the Mourvèdre, they are highly fruity, complex wines with great balance and persistence.

John Duval discovered the treasures of the Barossa Valley terroir and became a complete lover of the old vines of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. Duval's hallmark is complex and elegant wines with great aging potential and expressing the best of the Barossa Valley terroir!

John Duval is not only a Wine Rockstar in Australia, but he is also involved with Viña Ventisquero in the Apalta Valley in Chile, where he is the consulting winemaker. And in the USA, where he is a partner at the Longshadows winery in Washington.

2019 John Duval Plexus Red Barossa Valley Australia is a classic Australian blend. The Shiraz is from the Krondorf, Ebenezer, and Eden Valley vineyards, the Grenache from Tanunda and Ebenezer, and the Mourvèdre (or Mataro) from Paso de la Luz. All three varieties come from centennial vines.

Aging: 15 months, 10% in new fine grain French oak.

51% Shiraz, 32% Grenache, and 17% Mourvèdre. Vibrant garnet-purple color. Aromas of red fruits rose petals and dried herbs with notes of cinnamon and earth. Medium-bodied showing bright and fleshy layers of raspberry, redcurrant, and darker fruit edges. Supple, classy tannins leading to a soft-textured elegant finish. Pair this wine with tomato-based pasta, lamb or game.

I was all set to write about another John Duval wine - the vibrant 2019 Concillio grenache ($30) - when I tasted this. Both are delicious but this just edged out its stablemate in a photo finish. It is a lip-smackingly good classic Barossa blend of old vine shiraz, grenache and mourvèdre and delivers serious drinking pleasure with a velvety smooth finish and hints of Asian spice. John Duval, for those who do not know, was for many years the winemaker behind Penfolds Grange. Nowadays, he works in his family business making wines in much smaller quantities, and at much more affordable prices. This one will certainly not disappoint. $40. ~95 Winsor Dobbin, winsordobbin.com.au.

Striking, with dark, compact notes of huckleberry, wild blackberry, blueberry, and espresso that are fragrant, pure, and generous. Velvety tannins and details of cigar box, gunpowder tea, fresh cracked black pepper, and spice go on and on. The finish is epic. Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2035. 2,000 cases imported. ~94 Wine Spectator (v. 2018)