“Plexus” White Barossa 2022 – John Duval

To produce the “Plexus” White Barossa John Duval all varieties were gently pressed. The pressings were then combined with the free run juice and cold settled. Fermentation commenced entirely in stainless steel tanks with some of the Marsanne and Viognier completing fermentation, and then maturation, in fine-grain French oak (20% new) for six months. The remaining Marsanne and the Roussanne were matured on lees in tank until bottling, to enhance the structure and texture of the finished wine.

The Marsanne is sourced from the warm Marananga region in the Northern Grounds area of Barossa Valley, where soils are predominantly red-yellow brown loams over red clay. The Roussanne was sourced from the Kalimna region, also in Northern Grounds, the soils here being mostly yellow and white sands. The Viognier was sourced from a cooler site in the high altitude Eden Valley region.

John Duval, one of the world’s great winemakers, was given the ‘Grange’ torch by Max Schubert, the man who created Australia’s most famous wine. John passed it on to his successor when he left Penfolds in 2003 to start his own label. He sources fruit from long-time friends in the Barossa, all of whom own vineyards with vines aged from 50 to 100 years old. The wines are made with minimal intervention and showcase the best of the Barossa.