John Duval Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2006 (6 bottle limit)
There's no doubting the class of these wines. They've got elegance, power and smart oak input, and while they are not overly tannic the tannin they do have is very fine and very well integrated into the fruit profile of the wine. They are balanced. This tastes of a mix of red and darker berries and carries a nice clip of toasty, smoky, coffeed oak. It's an exercise in control and finesse, more than it is of power. Drink: 2010-2015. 92 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront
My aim with Plexus is to express the wide spectrum of red fruit flavours from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, but also provide structure with a seamless balance and long finish. A low percentage of new oak, adds complexity rather than dominate the berry fruit. Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques are employed with Plexus, allowing the wine to be approachable in it’s youth, but also have great potential for improvement in the bottle under good cellaring conditions for at least 8-10 yea John Duval
NEARLY three years after he resigned from the nation's top winemaking job, John Duval is back in the big time with the release of his own red wine, the John Duval Plexus.
The 2006 Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre is one of the most eagerly anticipated new wine release of the year. It's already a runaway winner before it even reaches the wine stores on March 1. Demand has been so keen that the Australian allocation has already been snapped up by wine distributors.....
Wine stores report that buyers have been enquiring for some time to buy the first wine from the maestro. Mr Duval was Penfolds chief winemaker and maker of Penfolds Grange from 1986 until he resigned in mid-2002 after 28 years with the company. He was only the third winemaker of Penfolds Grange, regarded internationally as Australia's greatest wine.
His shock resignation came after the merger between Southcorp and Rosemount Wines in 2001. "I'm very pleased with the wine because there has been a lot of expectation," Mr Duval said. "The main one has been meeting my own expectations. I've been very nervous because I'm doing it for myself for the first time. "But a few distributors have seen it now and I'm very positive about it."
The wine will also be sold in the U.S., Britain and New Zealand. Mr Duval said his John Duval Wines brand would be positioned in the small end of town. "I'm a one-man band and enjoying it very much," he said. He made the Plexus again in 2004 and added a high quality shiraz to go alongside it for release in the next 12 months. "We will continue the Plexus this vintage and make another shiraz and at some stage I would like to produce a reserve shiraz or a reserve wine," he said.
Mr Duval said he has kept busy since leaving Southcorp in 2002 by continuing to consult for the company, while focusing on his own brand. "I've got the best of both worlds with something that is near and dear to me at Penfolds, as well as the opportunity to have a lot of fun with my own label," he said. Mr Duval is also involved in a project making shiraz in the U.S. in Washington State – a venture involving some of the world's best winemakers.
Each has been invited to make wines from grape varieties for which they are famous. Michael Andrewartha from East End Cellars described the Plexus as a "brilliant" wine with balance, seamless fruit, great structure and tannin and lovely fresh summer berry flavours. "It's an amazing effort for a first wine and the demand will be huge," Mr Andrewartha said. Hot new drop has been well worth the wait "John Duval's name is held in very high regard in the industry and the presentation of the wine is nothing short of brilliant." By NIGEL AUSTIN, Adelaide Advertiser
