2023 John Duval Entity Shiraz

John Duval basically wrote the playbook on modern, French-oaked Barossa Shiraz during his time at Penfolds - most notably creating the iconic RWT. The 'Entity' is his personal continuation of that style, and it remains an absolute benchmark for the region.

The 2023 release is a 65/35 split between the Barossa and Eden Valleys. Sourced from a spread of old-vine sites, it spent 15 months in French oak, with just 25% of the barrels being new. Thanks to a cool, late-ripening vintage, the wine leans into elegance and balance rather than just sheer, brute-force regional power.

It’s classic Duval in the glass. You get a serious core of dark berries, plum, and blue fruit, backed by savoury hints of sage, anise, and dark chocolate. It carries excellent weight and concentration on the palate, but the tannins are incredibly supple and fine, driving a long, earthy finish.

It is beautifully approachable right now if you give it a splash in a decanter alongside a good steak, but it absolutely has the fruit depth and structure to comfortably cruise in the cellar for 15 years or more.

96 points
"A wonderfully pure-smelling shiraz from John Duval...”
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
”Great length, tannins supple but driving it long and filling their roll well to the finish.”
- Stuart Knox (The Real Review)

94 points
"There’s so much bold flavour here and so much inherent balance. This Barossa Valley shiraz is spot on."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)