Introducing Integro by John Duval Wines
A new wine to our portfolio, the purpose of creating Integro is to craft a benchmark Cabernet Shiraz blend that celebrates exceptional Barossa vineyards. But to achieve this has commanded much patience – to first identify and source fruit from the best vineyards, then to wait for precisely the right vintage conditions whilst also adhering to the rigorous classification processes that we apply to every John Duval wine from vineyard to bottle. We are now very proud to present the first release of Integro from the 2017 vintage.
The conceptual origins of this special wine can be traced to John’s near 30 year winemaking career at Penfolds, where he made and enjoyed many wines sourced from great South Australian vineyards. Amongst the many Penfolds Special Bin wines, perhaps the most memorable wines for him were the Barossa Cabernet Sauvignons made from the famous Block 42 vineyard at Kalimna.
Since establishing John Duval Wines in 2003, John has always had in mind the idea to produce a Cabernet Shiraz blend as our family’s 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.
In 2013 we were offered some old vine Grenache from the historic Stonegarden Vineyard, located to the east of Springton. First planted in 1858, this vineyard is home to some of the oldest surviving vines in the world and in recent years has produced a string of award winning wines – including our own Annexus Grenache. The site also had old plantings of Cabernet with the earliest established in the late 1880’s, and we were very fortunate to secure the small amount of fruit that it yielded. Dry grown and at around 400m altitude, this very special site produces low yields of small berries of intense Cabernet flavour. Patience was rewarded, and in 2017 we were presented with a stunning parcel of fruit displaying excellent balance, elegance and classic Cabernet characters which was to become the core of our first Integro release.
The Cabernet was matured in French oak hogsheads for 18 months before blending with a small parcel of exceptional 2017 Barossa Valley Shiraz (10%) to balance the palate and produce a complete wine; hence the name Integro – meaning to make whole – was assigned to this special wine.
Whilst true to the John Duval style of elegance and structure, and approachable as a young wine, Integro is designed to reward extended bottle maturation. We sense the wine will enter its peak drinking window around 15 years from vintage, but like all great Cabernet Sauvignon the opportunity for ageing is considerably longer.
The single bottle price is $220, with 3 bottles available in a special wooden shipper for $660. $10 shipping per order applied for all deliveries to Australian addresses. As you’d expect for a special wine from a small, low yielding vineyard, quantities are extremely limited.
Head over to our Wines + Shop page to purchase and for more information.
Cheers
John and Tim Duval