June 2009 Cellar Wine Club Selection
Australia, admittedly, makes some fantastic smack-you-across-the-face style Shiraz. Thankfully, however, that's not the only game in town. John Duval manages to reign it all in a little with their Plexus blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mourvedre from various regions within the Barossa Valley, creating a wine that's refreshingly multi-dimensional. All three grapes get to shine here: the bold Shiraz that makes the base of the wine, the old bush vine Grenache and the even older (some vines topping out at a century) Mourvedre. Critic Josh Raynolds said of the previous vintage, "I love the interplay of sweet, juicy fruit, supple tannins and understated oak. Finishes with the clarity, complexity and persistence of wines that cost three times the price. One of the greatest values in Autralian wine today." The wine lived up to the rep again this year, when Raynolds described it as "Sappy and fresh, with vivid raspberry, cerry, and smoky mineral flavors finishing clean, brisk and juicy."
