The Barossa Valley is known in the United States as a source of warm climate wines, but anyone who has traveled and tasted in the Barossa knows that this is a misleading generalization. Barossa also has some of the oldest Syrah vines in the country, and John Duval has selected wisely from well sited vineyards in the Stockwell, Light Pass, Krondorf and Marananga sub-regions. Like the GSM below, it is an impressive creation.
Deep and dark. Classic Shiraz notes of blackberry compote, cassis, chocolate and French oak. As with the GSM (below), the fruit is deep and concentrated rather than flabby. Beautifully balanced with silky tannins and a good level of acidity. It's a wine I am enjoying now in its youth, but I am sure it will be even better with a decade or more in the bottle.
The bottle aging with this wine, as well as with the Duval GSM, is complicated by the use of a screw top, which slows considerably the action of oxygen on the wine inside the bottle. For those who like young wines and those who hate wines damaged by cork taint, this is a plus. For those who like more developed wines, as I do, decanting or aeration will add complexity.
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