Retail Savings $59.99 $105.00 43% 2009 John Duval Eligo Shiraz product-timed-pdf - Barossa Valley *Flagship - 95pts-WA & JH | PENFOLDS Grange Mastery Why We're Drinking It It's only fitting that John Duval names his flagship blend "Eligo," Latin for "electing the best." That's precisely what's inside the bottle here: the kind of wine that, quite frankly, stirs the pot among the invino Tasting Panel as they calmly and rationally decide who gets to take the bottle home to enjoy with dinner. If we had only two words to describe the 2009 Eligo Shiraz, we would call it like it is: the best. This 100% Shiraz comes from one of the world's greatest winemakers, John Duval, whose prowess led to the creation of the famed Penfolds Grange red blend. It comes from the best of Duval's fruit from the 2009 vintage, and receives the best care and attention in the winery. It's no surprise, then, that this wine is also almost always deemed the best by critics (a fresh 95-point rating from Wine Advocate recently joined 95 points from James Halliday and our Panel). A wine with restrained power, rich texture, and palate length, the 2009 has been recognized as an excellent vintage with favorable weather conditions and vine balance. That, combined with Duval's hands-off winemaking and subtle French oak, results in a wine with ample structure, texture, and fruit intensity that will allow great potential for improvement in the bottle under good cellaring conditions, for at least 15 years. The only downside: It's nearly impossible to find on the market, and when it is available, it wears a well-deserved three-digit price tag. Of course, unless you get it here. Inside Fact: Growing fruit in the iconic Marananga, Krondorf, and Light Pass regions of Australia, John Duval is a winemaker who’s got quite a buzz going. One of his consulting-client wineries says, "Few winemakers are as synonymous with the iconic wines of a country as he,” and our Panel couldn’t agree more. Making wines critics call his “outstanding examples of what Australia should be making,” he’s the third winemaker to ever produce Penfolds’ flagship Grange, the successor to the equally legendary winemakers Max Schubert and Don Ditter. Tasting Notes VARIETAL The wine is a lovely dense purple red in the glass, reminiscent of all great Syrah Barossan Shiraz. The nose is youthful and expressive of blackberry, APPELLATION blueberry, and dark chocolate. The palate is multi-layered, as you would Barossa Valley expect with a wine of this calibwe, with vibrant dark fruit; intense but still ALCOHOL restrained, with impressive structure and fruit intensity. 14.50 SIZE 750ml BLEND Syrah AGING/COOPERAGE 20 months in French oak The Story to Know From Winemaker John Duval: 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 guess there was a family precedent to all of this - the Duval family had for many years run a world famous sheep stud and quality vineyards south of Adelaide, coincidentally supplying Shiraz grapes and vine cuttings to Penfolds. So I wasn't exactly a newcomer to wine. 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 Mourvedre 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. Perfect Pairings This one had our Panel's mouths watering from the first uncorking (or, more appropriately, unscrewing). It pairs impeccably (trust us, we tried quite a buffet...) with lamb kebobs (thanks, Dave Lieberman!) along with grilled ham and a not-too-sweet hazelnut dessert. Ratings 95 Insider Points 95 Points - Wine Advocate 95 Points - James Halliday 93+ Points - The Wine Front Reviews Monumental!!! John Duval chose the Latin word for "to choose the best" for this wine. Using old vines that his family has tended for decades, this is his very best possible Shiraz. 20 months in oak and about 40 years of winemaking experience have crafted a particularly elegant and enjoyable Shiraz. Don't forget that John was Penfold's chief winemaker for over 30 years. This is a great talent. Inky black, with a brilliant garnet rim, aromas of coffee, raspberries and chocoate pour out over the rim of your glass. In the mouth, there is a combination of sweet berries, allspice, leather and some finishing notes of chocolate, all packed together in this remarkably complete wine. Beautifully balanced and very complete, this is a wine that could be laid down for another 15 to 20 years easily, if you could stay away from it. -PM "This is the very essence of old vine Barossa shiraz, made with generosity and warmth as a core value; masses of sweet black fruits, bitter chocolate, graphite tannins and toasty oak combine to deliver a silky mouthful of tannins and plenty of warmth of alcohol; concentration kept in check, and exceptionally long. 95 points" - James Halliday "And didn’t the birds sing. How Barossa can be vigorous and forthright but also shiny, rapidly drinkable and still have time to go. Eligo, says the label, is Latin for ‘to pick out, select or choose the best’. Twenty months in fancy French oak too. Smells complex, and by that I mean there is layers of scent here. Pick up the glass and inhale fruits, spice, earth, oak, meaty stuff, florals, dried herbs. Awesome. The palate is concentrated and richly fruited, but it’s satiny textured and very fresh – there is a scar of tobacco and sandalwood oak, but the fruit washes over the evidence. Architectural in form with a frame of sinewy tannin and slatey-mineral driven acidity. It feels impressive to swirl around the mouth, packs a serious but well aimed punch and drives with warmth through the finish. Atta boy. This just works. Take some for the cellar too. Rated : 93+ Points" - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front..