2021 John Duval Eligo Shiraz 750ml

Awards, Ratings & Reviews

• 98 Points, Barossa Super 100 Classification II
• 96 Points, Decanter World Wine Awards 2025
• 98 Points, The Vintage Journal (November 2025): "From one of the region’s greatest vintages for many years, the team describe this wine as representing the very best of that vintage. That raises the bar. The fruit came from the Barossa Valley, 62%, and the Eden Valley, 38%. Maturation was for a year and a half, 42% in new French oak hogsheads, with the balance in a mix of older hogsheads and puncheons. Under cork. The colour is dark cherry/magenta. On the nose we have notes of warm earth, blackberries, smoked meats, liquorice, black cherries and coffee grinds. A touch of toasty oak, but the wine has good concentration and immaculate balance with serious length. This is so seductive. A great year has given us a stunning Barossa Valley Shiraz. Enjoy this wonderful wine over the next 20 years. Drink now–2045."
• 97 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (June 2025): "From the stellar '21 vintage, the Eligo represents the best of the range of amazing vineyard sites from the Barossa (62%) and Eden (38%) Valleys. Its concentration and essence-like with deep, resonant blackberry, black cherry and Doris plum fruits with hints of clove, cinnamon, purple flowers, licorice, dark chocolate, cedar, olive tapenade, pan juices and earth. Thick shouldered but balanced and harmonious with melt in the mouth, chocolatey tannins and exceptional length of flavour."
• 96 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review (January 2025): "Deep and rich ruby colour. Mulberry, vanilla pod and ironstone aromas. Palate sings with a harmony of black fruits, iron and violets. Still primary in its offering but with time in the glass a bloody depth builds. All the while powerful, well-wrought tannins bring tension and focus to the power on show. Cellar it and reap the rewards."

About This Wine

The process of creating Eligo begins in the vineyard, where the most exceptional parcels of fruit are identified to produce a structured but elegant expression of Barossa Shiraz. The Barossa Valley components deliver depth and structure with rich concentrated fruit flavour, while the Eden Valley components bring vibrant aromatics. Post maturation, a final classification is made to proclaim the finest Shiraz of the vintage from John Duval Wines.

The 2021 vintage is remembered as an exceptional Barossa vintage. Better winter rains and a perfectly timed 30mm event at the start of February rewarded the region with better crops and berry size after a few drought-affected lean years. Conditions through late February, March, and April were perfect, characterized by mild to warm days, no heat spikes, and cool nights, ensuring a long, even ripening period.

The fruit is sourced from old vineyards in the Ebenezer (Hoffmann), Krondorf (Stoll), and Moppa (Chapman) sub-regions of the Barossa Valley, and the Moculta (Fechner) and Mt McKenzie (Knight/Severin) sub-regions of the Eden Valley. The final blend comprises 62% Barossa Valley and 38% Eden Valley Shiraz.

Winemaking involved fermenting parcels of fruit separately in small stainless-steel fermenters, some with submerged caps. Some batches remained on skins for up to two weeks to extract additional colour and structure. Post classification, the component wines were matured in oak for 18 months, utilizing 42% new fine grain French oak with the balance in older hogsheads and puncheons.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2021
• Grape Variety: Shiraz
• Region: Barossa Valley / Eden Valley / South Australia / Australia
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• Acidity TA: 6.6g/L
• Acidity pH: 3.51
• Maturation: 18 months in French oak (42% new) and older hogsheads and puncheons
• Winemaker: John and Tim Duval
• Closure: Cork
• Drinking Window: 2025–2045