John Duval Annexus Mataro 2017
2017
£46.00
Availability: 100 in stock
From a 100 year old vineyard. Classic Australian Mataro with meaty, savoury spice and beautifully wild aromatics. Always a characterful variety, Duval achieves smoothness and purity with ease.
Australia
Dry
Full Bodied
WINE PRODUCER
John Duval is the fifth generation of his family to have worked with wine, and his credentials are known and respected by many within the wine industry. A student of Roseworthy College in Adelaide, he graduated in 1973 and began working almost immediately for Penfolds. He was lucky enough to work with Max Schubert, the creator of the revered Penfolds Grange, and in 1986 John took over as chief winemaker at the company, becoming only the third winemaker to have been responsible for the Grange. John also created several other wines that are now standard Penfolds offerings, such as the Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon. Eventually, John decided to move on from Penfolds, and in the process he set up his own wine label. Drawing on his invaluable experience, whilst trying to create wines that were different to those he previously made, he released his first John Duval wine in 2003. In 2010 he released his first wine, Plexus White, a blend of Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier.
John Duval offers a small line-up of wines, however, each one is sought-after by sellers and collectors. ‘The Plexus Red’ is the “entry-level” wine, made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre, sourced from the Barossa and Eden Valleys. The ‘Annexus Grenache’ is a limited-release wine, from very old, low-yielding vines in the ‘Eden Valley’ and northern ‘Barossa Valley’, with an abundance of red fruit on the nose and palate. The ‘Eligo Shiraz’ is made only in exceptional years when they can source the best fruit, and as such has only been made ten times since the winery was established.
For more information on John Duval and their wines, visit their website.
A behemoth of a state, South Australia is responsible for over 50% of Australia’s wine production. With the first known planting here taking place in 1836, local vintners have had time to truly perfect their art. In fact, SA is also home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines on the planet, with around 38% of SA’s old vines being Shiraz.
Such a large area means that the terrain, climate and soil profiles vary immensely between regions, allowing for a vast array of varieties to thrive. Some of South Australia’s premier wine regions include; Barossa Valley, Mclaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra and the Adelaide hills. Such a collection of prime wine regions has earned South Australia the grand title of Australia’s Wine Capital. But it doesn’t stop there, the prowess of SA wine producers mixed with fantastic growing conditions has garnered the state the privilege of being dubbed one of the 9 Great Wine Capitals of the World.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Europe was ravaged by an outbreak of Phylloxera, an aphid that injects a venom into the root of the vine while sucking out sap. The effect of the outbreak vastly influenced the global market. For example, France’s wine output decreased by over 40%, with the whole ordeal costing the country over 10 billion francs. Luckily for all, the grand ‘down-under’ remained a wine wonder, as the blight couldn’t take flight and reach the far away lands.
