John Duval Wines Integro Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2018

Limited allocation, sold out in most markets. 

Integro: to integrate or make whole. This is John Duval Wines contribution to the proud and distinctly Australian tradition of blending these two varieties. An age-worthy wine that would reward extended cellaring, allowing its journey of evolution to be enjoyed over many years. A wine from special Barossa vineyards, and produced only when the right vintage conditions prevailed.

Vintage: 2018.

The cooler vintage conditions from 2017 set up the 2018 growing season well, the vineyard getting the benefit of better soil moisture. The vineyard had slightly healthier yields (still under 1T/acre) allowing this special release.

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon(92%), Shiraz (8%)

Region: Single Vineyard, Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from a site to the east of the township of Springton. The vineyard is one of Australia's oldest vineyards, with the earliest plantings going back to 1858. Best estimates put the earliest planting date of the Cabernet vines at this vineyard in the 1890s, making these some of the oldest Cabernet vines still on their own roots anywhere in the world. The site was once part of an ancient sea bed; the thin loam soils sit above a substrate of red clay containing rose quartz and black mica schist fragments. The vines produce very low yields of intensely flavoured berries. The Shiraz component blended exceptional old vineyards from the Barossa Valley.

Great Cabernet Sauvignon wines are defined by their depth of flavour, elegance and structure, and the most exceptional examples demand particular provenance and optimum growing and ripening conditions. In the simplest terms possible, the best wines come from the best sites in the best years, and this ethos guides John Duval Wines in developing this wine. Cabernet Sauvignon has only recently become a prominent feature on the Barossa vineyard landscape, and older plantings are exceptionally rare.

And whilst the variety performs well in the warm conditions of the Barossa Valley, we believe the best sites are to be found in the Eden Valley, where the cooler conditions prolong ripening and promote expression of more classic Cabernet characters.

The Cabernet (92%) and Shiraz (8%) components were fermented separately for 8 days on skins in small open-top stainless steel fermenters with twice daily pump-overs to extract colour, flavour and tannin. The Cabernet was aged in a mix of new (50%) and 3rd use (50%) French oak hogsheads for 18 months. Following maturation, we blended in a small parcel of our finest Shiraz to promote mid-palate richness and soften the tannin profile of the Cabernet. John & Tim Duval believe this creates a more balanced and harmonious wine – a wine true to the name Integro. The wine was then blended with the Shiraz component and bottleaged for 2 years before release.

Time & John's notes:

Nose: Vibrant redcurrant and blackcurrant, plum, pepper and clove.
Palate: Alive with a brilliant array of intense blue fruit and blackcurrants supported by an elegant framework of long mouth-coating tannins. Rich in texture, fleshy and finishing long and pure.

98 points

Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal

“Deep crimson. Complex blackcurrant, blackberry, praline, roasted chestnut mocha, marzipan notes. Richly flavoured, round and smooth with beautiful pure blackcurrant, blackberry mocha espresso flavours, fine loose-knit grainy tannins and underlying roasted chestnut, toffee notes. Finishes chocolaty and long with a long life ahead”.

98 points

Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot

"Sourced from the ancient vines from Eden Valley, with yields which stubbornly refuse to exceed one tonne/acre, the blend is 92% Cabernet and 8% Shiraz. Fermented separately for 8 days on skins in small open stainless steel fermenters with twice daily pumpovers, the Cabernet component was then aged in French oak hogsheads (50% new, 50% third use) for 18 months.

Near black with intensely dark purples. There are floral notes, rose petals, cocoa powder and purple fruits here. Mulberries, a whiff of dried raisins, bay leaves, rolled tobacco notes, spices, cassis, leather and blackberries. As one moves to the palate, the leather, mocha and coffee bean notes emerge more to the fore, and the chocolate, especially dark chocolate, gains in intensity. Serious concentration here, this is glorious stuff. Great length, balance, freshness and complexity supported by firm tannins. This is a wine that has two decades of improving ahead of it, after which, it should plateau for many more – this is a wine which really will benefit from time."

97 points

Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

“Stunning fruit purity and detail on display here, with cascades of blackberry and blackcurrant along with cassis, kirsch, spice, cedar and licorice. The fruit is the star though. Achingly pure and beautifully integrated with all the components of the wine. Lovely tannin and oak management too, with an opulent yet graceful flow through to the enduring finish.”