November 5, 2022 - I got a strong acid whiff which made my nostrils twitch suggesting this was either over-acidified or just volatile. There were smoky mulled black fruits and spice coming through but the finish was oh so bitter as to be unpleasant. Out of kilter. CHP 82 pts
September 6, 2022 - On day two a real salty savoriness to it. And falling down a little bit so I guess if your going to open the magnum, drink it!
September 5, 2022 - From magnum and coming into form quite nicely. Went well with Sabina's favorite Korean burgers.
May 11, 2022 - From magnum. And probably the greatest compliment from a room full of hard core wine drinkers + an Italian winemaker was "maybe its time to reconsider Australia?"
November 11, 2020 - Best right on pop/pour; devolved over the 2 nights drunk. Drink now.
May 22, 2018 - Better with every sip. And we wish we had way more to sip! We taste the Penfolds in John’s blend… Or should we say we taste John’s influence in so much of the Penfolds we’ve enjoyed.
A luscious wine… “Excellent” she says. “Awesome” is his descriptor. Big, quenching fruit. A nose so inviting we keep our glasses to our face and close our eyes… There's cinnamon in there too. The French Oak brushes it into a velvety, jammy treat.
Great balance, as it rolls in a bit smoky- then it’s gone, fruity- then smooths out to an earthiness, but not old-dirt-like… A green fleck, a yummy, moist, inviting tone it is.
The glass is four feet away and it’s bellowing us in; we pick up its siren call so easily, it’s like we “hear” it… “This won’t last long.” One of us tosses out rhetorically. It does NOT!
Empty way too soon.
So grateful for Asiago cheese, our homemade sausage and spicy hummus. Each of which share our palate with this bold juice.
Half an hour aeration and it evolves into some downright Down Under wizardry.
Better than our Mollydooker from last year. It is nearly - just nearly- RWT-like (at half the price- with cleaner fruit but way less complexity)… Classy. Well put together. We could put a bow tie on this bottle and it’d feel right at home.
The finish goes on; substantive, girthy- surprising actually as the legs seem quite slim…
We have a 2014 in the cellar but will WAIT on her. We’ll try and locate some more decade-aged bottles locally. Because we really like this vin. You will too!
October 21, 2017 - Our first Aussie GSM, this wine was fantastic. 52% Shiraz (Syrah for us Yanks), 26% Grenache, 22% Mourvèdre. Don't let the screw cap fool you...this is an exceptional, high quality wine. Nice aromatics of dark cherries and pipe tobacco after 20 minutes of air, with juicy and bright red fruit on the attack. A long, lingering finish follows its lip-smacking and juicy core. A terrific balance of ripe fruits, pleasing acidity, and soft tannins make this a wonderfully elegant wine. I'll definitely be picking up some more of John Duval's wines in the future if this is representative of his winemaking prowess. Very highly recommended.
May 21, 2017 - Fantastic with rib eye steak
April 5, 2017 - fruitful and juicy GSM, medium to full body, a great one.
May 21, 2016 - Right out of the bottle, she was a bit harsh. But two hours in the air, and she evolved into a beauty. This Aussie version of a southern rhone blend is really wonderful. The fruit was beautiful and strong and all the rest was in fine balance. Terrific for a grilled steak. But do give her time to catch her breath.