John Duval, Entity, Barossa Shiraz

€39.99

This is a wine that we really love. It is a complete glass of deliciousness that is made from the best fruit sources that John Duval has gotten to know in his long experience in Barossa. Most of the vines are seriously old and about a third of these are from the Eden Valley sub-zone, which is much cooler in climate than most of the rest of the Barossa, helping it maintain balance and liveliness while the dark, brooding flavours and silky tannins fill the mouth.

Blueberry, licorice, notes of black pepper, blackberry and earthy spices knit seamlessly in this wine and give a huge amount of pleasure. Dark chocolate lives long on finish in this wine, which comes from the very rich 2019 vintage.

John Duval is a very famous winemaker. Don't worry if you haven't heard of this estate before (or even himself), it's fine by him. His fame came to him without his asking, because for over a decade he was the head winemaker at Penfold's. And during his time there he oversaw the production and rocket-like growth in the demand for their top wine, Grange.

He didn't fully agree with the stylistic strictures that its fan-base sought, or even the nature of a Super-Star wine. He's too humble for that. But the issue with Grange was, in his eyes, there was so much nuance that Australian vineyards could offer which the winemaking of Grange almost necessarily homogenised. It was a massive, powerful wine that was often impermeable in youth.

What about the other ways of showing this amazing calibre of the best Shiraz fruit that Australia had to offer? He asked... and no one really listened.

So he developed a wine on his own in the winery that was a trial to see if any colleagues would come round to his way of thinking. This was RWT (Penfold's Red Wine Trial) and is one of the classiest, most elegant and complex wines from Australia that you'll ever get. It's also hugely successful, but is 1/6 the price of Grange.

But this isn't about Penfold's! It's about the man who's wine making (perhaps reluctantly?) took those wines to the top: he wanted more elegance and that's what he got, and, thankfully, he still gets today.

When he left Penfold's, he set up his own winery (hence the name) and he went to his favourite spots for grape suppliers and started up where he had left off; sourcing some of the more interesting vineyard fruit from Barossa and making it in a way that is balanced and genuinely exceptional.

The best of the Shiraz fruit all goes in to the winery and once this Entity in underway, it is fermented in a very traditional method and is aged for 15 months in barrels - 1/3 new French oak barriques and 2/3 in 300 litre hogsheads. In some years, (in only the very best years) a selection is taken out of the fermenting wine and made into a separate, uber-shiraz called Eligo. But that's another story...

Region: Barossa

Country: Australia

Grape(s): Syrah

Style: Rich, Powerful, Full, Elegant, Dark, Complex, Broad

Best food matches: Red Meats, Pork, Pizza, Mature Cheeses, Lamb, Game, Fine Dining, Cheeses, Charcuterie, Beef

Alcohol: 14.5%

Why buy from us?

When you buy wine from The Allotment Wine Co. you're helping a small Irish company that in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers who grow the grapes and make amazing wines. We only work with partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.

Delivery & Returns

You'll get free delivery when you buy 12 x 75cl bottles of wine online from The Allotment, saving you €7.99.

We charge €7.99 per delivery for quantities less than that.

Our hours for processing orders are between 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

We pack your online wine order along the following timelines:

Wine orders for delivery in Dublin, received before 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected the next working day.

Wine orders for nationwide delivery, received by 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected two working days later.

Customer reviews

★★★★★
Great choice and excellent service. Received my delivery the next day.
Paul H.
★★★★★
Amazing service from the get go!
I emailed Chris looking for wine recommendations for a birthday gift. Got a really speedy, helpful reply and not only that but he hand delivered it on time to the birthday girl wishing her a happy birthday. Absolutely bowled over by the service. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Michelle McM.
★★★★★
Could not recommend The Allotment enough. The selection is fantastic and each wine that I've drank from them has been utterly phenomenal. Delivery was no hassle and I had the wine at my door in 2 days. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Luke B.
★★★★★
Good range of interesting wines. Good personal attention to their orders. Very customer focused. I would be happy to recommend this company to any prospective customer.
Jim D.
★★★★★
A great experience ordering from The Allotment Wine Company. A wide variety of wines to try something new and at good prices with super quick delivery! Really convenient too as opposed to trying to find parking!
N. Dowling
★★★★★
Delicious and interesting range of wines delivered promptly to my door. Not far off that lovely feeling of coming back laden from a good wine store but without any of the traffic or the worry of breaking the wine en route (very impressive travel wrap).
M. Dorman
★★★★★
Chris fields a fine range of excellent, keenly-priced wines. Orders are safely packaged and dispatched efficiently and promptly. Strongly recommended.
David M.
★★★★★
Great selection of wines, hassle free ordering, payment and delivery. Highly recommended.
Patrick H.
Hi, I'm Chris Gifford.

And you're very welcome to The Allotment Wine Co.

When you wine from me, you're supporting a small Irish business which in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers, as well as other small, dedicated Irish wine importers.

When selecting wines, I look for partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.