News
2017 Entity Halliday’s Shiraz of the Year
At last night’s Halliday Wine Companion Awards held at the National Gallery in Melbourne, our 2017 ‘Entity’ Shiraz received the award for ‘Shiraz of the Year’. The 99 point rating placed the wine in elite company, and being named Best Shiraz propelled it to the pinnacle of wines made from Australia’s signature grape variety Shiraz. The award marks another highpoint for our family business, and positions John Duval Wines amongst the great names in Australian wine. It’s an achievement we are exceptionally proud of, especially so considering Entity was just one of over several thousand of Australia’s best wines featured in the 2020 James Halliday Wine Companion guide.
Since the 99 point rating made news earlier this year, demand for the wine has been overwhelming and we and our many retail partners have sold out. (However, there’s no denying a determined search may yield a few rare bottles here and there.) As news of this new award spreads, we no doubt will once again be inundated with requests to purchase 2017 Entity Shiraz, stocks of which are now limited to our museum reserves.
Entity is always a limited production wine, and unfortunately the amount we typically hold in reserve will be in no way sufficient to meet every request. We have therefore decided the most equitable way of allocating some of this wine destined for our museum is through a new feature of our JD Wine Club.
VINTAGE NOTEBOOK
2012 – Structured, Elegant
The more I taste the current release Plexus and Entity, I am convinced 2012 will be regarded as one of the classic Barossa vintages. Good soil moisture, a carryover from the wet 2011, and a mild summer during the 2012 growing season put a stamp of elegance on the 2012 wines. But don’t drink them all now: their balance, flavour depth and tannin quality will give excellent cellaring potential. In fact you won’t be surprised that I think the 2012 Eligo will give the 2010 a run for its money…and that is high praise indeed given that the 2010 received 98 Parker points. 2012 Eligo is due for release February March 2015.
2013 – Traditional, Concentrated
Concentration and character, was how I summarised the 2013 vintage after picking a year ago. The season was dry and warm to hot, resulting in low yields so there was never going to be a problem with lack of colour or tannin structure. But the young wines really needed time in barrel and several rackings to soften the tannins and fill out the palate. Now that I have just blended the 2013 Plexus and Entity I’m pleased with the way they have come together. 2013 will be a more traditional Barossa vintage; rich, full bodied and structured, these will reward cellaring until at least 2025.
2014 – Soft, Stylish
If the heat of early January 2014 had continued through February, the 2014 vintage might well have been a write off. Instead we had 100mm of rain which breathed life back into the vines. At the time I remember saying ‘when will it stop’: after all rain is the last thing one needs at vintage. But it signalled the end to the heat and prolonged the ripening of Barossa and Eden Valley vineyards. As a result the reds are soft, elegant and stylistically right on track. We got out of jail!