2010 Eligo
98+/100 pts "Deep garnet-purple colored and profoundly scented of blueberry preserves, blackberry tart and chocolate box intermingled with an undercurrent of star anise, coffee, rare beef and tar, the full-bodied 2010 Eligo Shiraz is richly fruited with layers of opulent, berry preserve and spice cake flavours supported by solid foundation of firm, velvety tannins and balanced acid. It finished with outstanding persistence." Lisa Perotti-Brown Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate - March 2014.
94 pts "Vibrant, focused and intense, this is balanced, displaying currant, plum and floral flavours, hinting at licorice as the finish persists. Has depth and distinction. Harvey Steimann Wine Spectator December 2013
95 pts "This is likely the most ageworthy Shiraz winemaker John Duval has crafted since leaving Penfolds. The oak is subtle, the fruit still tight. It's full bodied but bursting with potential, shown in hints of black cherries and plums, mocha and mint. The finish is long, mouthwatering and softly dusty in texture, making it luscious yet firm." Wine Enthusiast Mazagine January 2014
95 pts "A big, perfectly ripened shiraz that cries out for cellaring. Sweet vanilla, dark chocolate and black-fruit aromas, then a full-throttle palate with lots of oak and fruit density, richness, power and concentration. Soft and ample tannins." Gourmet Wine Traveller October / November 2013
95 pts "Not shy or retiring in any stretch of the imagination, but one to bask in for concentration and carry of flavour - yet there's not a bashing about of the palate, more genial envelopment that works with concentration, spice and judicious oak." Mike Bennie WBM July 2013
95 pts "Essency black fruits, savoury roasted meat aromas and fragrant wood spices all evident on the bouquet; the palate is full bodied and muscular with prodigious tannins lying in waiting beneath the succulent black fruits on offer; long, precise, complex and expansive to conclude." James Halliday The Wine Companion July 2013
93 pts "Potent black and blue fruit aromas are brightened by notes of smoky minerals, cracked pepper and fresh flowers. Rich but focused and pure, offering vibrant blueberry and boysenberry flavours and suave vanilla and floral pastille qualities. Supple and broad on a long, gently tannic finish that leaves allspice and dark fruit preserve notes behind. Josh Raynolds The International Wine Cellar - July 2013
Outstanding - Lester Jesberg Winewise Bulletin June 2013
95 pts “This likely the most ageworthy Shiraz winemaker John Duval has crafted since leaving Pnefolds. The oak is subtle, the fruit still tight. It’s full bodied but bursting with potential, shown in hints of black cherries and plums, mocha and mint. The finish is long, mouthwatering and softly dusty in texture, making it luscious yet firm. Drink 2018-2030.” Joe Czerwinski Wine Enthusiast Magazine February 2014
25 Shiraz Superstars “Eligo has fresh, red and black plums and show considerable depth of rich sweet fruit. It's still youthful with excellent flavour and nicely melded new oak. Hooke found it ‘shy at first with smoky, charcuterie characters. There’s a good volume of flavour with black plum, vanilla, dark chocolate and a twist of licorice. It’s rich, dense and very long with touches of mocha and lots of well handled oak.’ The overall impressions is one of softness yet structure. It will develop in bottle for many years.” Gourmet Wine Traveller June / July 2014.
2009 Eligo
94 pts "Eligo is winemaker John Duval's luxury Shiraz, drawn from selected Barossa parcel. The 2009 is a dark tarry Shiraz, heavy on the savory elements of black olives and dark chocolate and buttressed by ample cassis-tinged fruit. It's full bodied and frim with a lone, finely textured finish." Wine Enthisiast Magazine
93 pts "Powerful bouquet of earth, animale and dark black fruit. Smooth and supple with thick tannns and perfectly molten oak and fruit mesh. Glides across the palate, sails long through the finish and shows richness and power yet has medium bodies apeal. Mike Bennie WMB Magazine November 2013.
93pts "Focused, expressive, dark and brooding, with plum, black cherry and subtle spice notes." Harvey Steimann, Wine Spectator May 2013.
96 pts "Pronounced creme de cassis, blueberry preserves and warm mulberry notes with an undercurrent of cedar, lavender, chocolate box, Indian spices and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied and tightly-knit on the palate is has a vibrant acid line cutting through the dense fruit layers and medium-firm, grainy tannins to support a long and spicy finish." Lisa Perotti-Brown Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate - March 2013.
94 pts "Opaque purple. An exciting bouquet of black and blue fruit preserves, violet, mocha and Indian spices. Juicy boysenberry and mulberry flavors show great depth and energy, with a late note of cracked pepper adding bite. Finishes spicy and very long, with lingering florality and gentle tannic grip. The marriage of power and verve here is striking. A good chunk of this fruit was grown in the cool, high-altitude Eden Valley, a sector of the Barossa that also produces excellent riesling, which no doubt contributes to this wine's vivacity. " Josh Raynolds The International Wine Cellar July 2012
94 pts “Eligo is winemaker John Duval’s luxury Shiraz, drawn from selected Barossa parcel. The 2009 is a dark tarry Shiraz, heavy on the savory elements of black olives and dark chocolate and buttressed by ample cassis-tunged fruit. It’s full bodied and firm with a lone, finely textured finish. Drink now – 2025.” Joe Czerwinski Wine Enthusiast MagazineFebruary 2014
2008 Eligo
96 pts "Full bodied and yet remarkably elegant in the mouth, it has complex layers of savoury and warm black fruit finishing with great persistence." Lisa Perotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 2012.
95 pts “Vivid purple hue; deep, dark and concentrated black fruit, tar, toasty oak and roasted meat all combine on the bouquet; the palate is dark and dense, with the powerful swathe of black fruit combining seamlessly with abundant new oak; chewy and fresh on the finish; the wine is still unevolved but balanced.”
James Halliday, 2012 The Wine Companion
93 pts “($100) Glass-staining ruby. Intensely floral aromas of fresh red and dark berries, candied cherry and cracked pepper. Silky in texture, with midweight black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors, nervy mineral cut and slow-building tannins. This balanced, elegant wine has the energy to reward patience.”
Josh Raynolds, Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar – New York July 2011
Gold Medal
Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 – London
5 Star
Chris Shanahan, Canberra Times May 2011
93 pts “Bright and lively, with lots of raspberry and cherry fruit on a medium-weight frame. A hint of mocha adds interest, remaining open and expressive through the gentle, focused finish. An elegant package. Shiraz. Drink now through 2016. – HS”
Harvey Steinman, Wine Spectator’s July 31
94+pts “Dark cherry and black fruit with the perfume of clove spice and sage oil. Tempered by tar and earth – it’s immediately appealing and multi-layered, even as a young wines. Supple and mouth-filling with savoury oak and dark chocolate flavours running long and spice on the finish. Fine oak, deep fruit, polish and class. It put in mind of RWT, only less brutish, smother and more sophisticated. ”
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front – May 2011
2006 Eligo
96 pts, “A selection of Duval’s very best Shiraz, this has superb depth and style, showcasing all that’s great about passing Barossa Shiraz through experienced hands. Dark blackberry flavour, some deeper earthy, savoury layers and long, smooth tannins. Impressively poised now, it will reward some time in the cellar.”
TOP 100 - Wine 100; 1 in 100.
96 pts, “The very best shiraz to pass through Duval’s experienced hands, this has a superb sense of depth and grace, relying on soulful, rich regional depth. Blackberry, black cherry and cassis are all nicely framed in savoury oak and gentle spice – refined and tidy. The palate makes a statement of structure and precision, deep tarry blackberry flavours build to spiced blood plum through the finish. Impressively balanced, beautifully extruded and convincing shiraz.”
Nick Stock, The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2010
95 pts, “Dense but bright colour; has perfectly pitched blackberry, plum fruit and French oak on both the bouquet and medium- to full bodied palate, with a very long finish.”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2010
94 pts, “Vivid purple. Strikingly complex aromas of blackcurrant, raspberry compote, violet, olive and Asian spices. Broad, palate-staining dark berry flavors are brightened by zesty minerals and pick up an exotic floral note with air. The mineral element gains strength with air and carries through a long, pure and sweet finish. I couldn't get this off my palate, but I didn't try very hard.”
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Autumn 2009
94 pts, “Impeccable structure. Sense of elegance. Finesse through the finish…” “Flavours are in the blackberry/chocolate/port/hay/cedarwood spectrum and despite its deep sense of impact it’s neither a huge wine nor an overdone wine. It’s beautiful in its style with oodles of fleshy tannin through the finish. It will age well.”
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, October 5 2009
94 pts, “Densely structured yet undeveloped on release, this is fresh and ripe with potential to age long and well.”
Rob Geddes MW, “The Gold Book” Australian Wine Vintages 2010
Gold Medal - 2009 Sommelier Challenge (US)
2005 Eligo
96 pts, “Duval has introduced this elite wine, a selection of the best shiraz he identified from the ’05 vintage; it was given an additional spell in the finest French timber. Precise blackberry aromas, some tarry notes, it has eaten up the oak and smells quite elegant. Fruit has been sculpted with experienced hands and delivered in refined shape – plum and dark berry flavours, fine dense tannins, impeccable balance.
Nick Stock, The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2009.
94 pts, “Purple-colored, it exhibits aromas of pain grille, pencil lead, espresso, licorice, blackberry and blueberry. Opulent on the palate, it has gobs of fruit but narrows out slightly in the finish.”
Jay Miller, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 2009
96 pts "Has great concentration and structure and above all, length to its panoply of red and black berry fruit; both oak and tannins positive, but nonetheless in a support role.
James Halliday 2009 Australian Wine Companion
96 pts #12 of 50 - Best Cellaring Wines 2007 "Underneath a slightly smoky, toasty exterior lies an explosion of cherry, raspberry and black cherry fruit that's wonderfully pure without being simple. The texture is creamy and lush without being unstructured or jammy, while the finish goes on and on."
Joe Czerwinski Wine Enthusiast, November 1, 2007.
95pts "A fabulous Barossa shiraz from the master. Duval's regular shiraz is a beauty, but this has more structure and ageing potential. Shy at this stage, undeveloped and loaded with promise."
Huon Hooke Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald, July 22, 2008
94 pts "Vivid blackberry, cassis, violet and mineral scents offer superb definition and expand with air, picking up exotic incense and Asian spice qualities. Sharply focused red and dark berry fruit flavours stain the palate, with fine-grained tannins providing gentle support. The floral element gains strength on the finish, which features sweet raspberry and zesty minerals. A shiraz with outstanding balance and energy."
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July, 2008
94++pts "After four years building his own brand, former Grange maker John Duval shows his profound understanding of the deepest and best of the Barossa with this flagship. Made in a style Max Schubert would love, the wine seems like a blacksmithed essence of the whole valley, compressed with the AP John cooperage into one impenetrable lozenge. But at the same time, it displays an elegance and restraint rarely seen in these days of plump, jammy Liberace extravaganzas. Open one now, just to peek, and put the rest away for at least a decade. Steak."
Phillip White Independent Weekly, June 4, 2008
5 Stars ***** "Fruit that's been given first class treatment with sumptuous, chocolate-coated purple fruit with a savoury streak running through. Fine poise. A wine of some distinction and one of Barossa's leading lights."
Decanter Magazine May 31, 2008
