2022 John Duval Eligo Shiraz, Barossa Valley

The Eligo represents the best of the '22 for the team at John Duval Wines; a split of shiraz from Barossa Valley (79%) and Eden Valley (21%), aged for 18 months in French oak hogsheads, 44% new. It's a rich, deeply fruited wine yet one that has a seam of freshness to its travel. Tones of satsuma plum, blackberry and black cherry fruits with hints of baking spices, blackforest cake, sage, licorice, dark chocolate, cedar, olive tapenade, roast and hanging meats and earth. Full bodied with a thick base of black fruits, a cascade of fine-grained tannin and a bright black cherry-skin acidity on the exit. Drink to 2046.

95+ points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026

Opaque purple colour, dense and saturated. The nose has spicy/woodsy and dried-herb notes, notable oak, and blackberry/fruitcake touches. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, densely textured and powerfully structured, a very concentrated and super ripe shiraz which will need time to tame. It's certainly very impressive. One for a dark corner of the cellar. Drink to 2042.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, December 2025

Aromas of dark fruit mingle on the nose with baking spice, licorice, charcuterie and warm Mediterranean herbs. Full-bodied and powerful, the palate is concentrated and densely layered with black fruit wrapped in fine tannins, stretching into a long, fresh finish.

This exudes the vibrant, ascending energy of late spring, combining dense layers of concentrated black fruit with an elegant, structural freshness. It pairs brilliantly with wood-fired, juniper-rubbed venison loin served alongside a tart blackberry reduction. The wine’s intense power and incredibly fine, detailed tannins effortlessly frame the lean, gamey melting texture of the meat, while its savory undertones of charcuterie and warm Mediterranean herbs seamlessly bridge the dish's earthy depth.

Keeping it casual? Pour a glass alongside premium, charcoal-grilled lamb souvlakia wrapped in fluffy flatbread with a heavy smear of garlic-rich toum. The wine’s bright, long finish and lifting acidity cut straight through the intense garlic punch, while its inherent baking spice notes mirror the smoky, blistered char of the open flame.

More about this wine

John Duval was the Chief Winemaker and guardian of the Penfolds legacy for 29 years before the first wine under his own label in 2003. The first winemaker in the family after five generations of grape growing, his collection of structured and elegant wines showcase exceptional old Barossa vineyards. His eldest son Tim has joined the family business, and with ten vintages of experience in the family business acts as the General Manager, as well as sharing winemaking with his farther.

Eligo is a vineyard selection of Duval’s finest shiraz parcels, including some centenarian vines: Barossa Valley for structure, depth of flavour and length on the palate, Eden Valley for their lifted, spicy aromatics, elegant fruit profiles and balanced acidity.

The 2022 was a season of moderate temperatures and slow, even ripening. The parcels of fruit for this blend were fermented separately in small stainless-steel fermenters, some with submerged caps. Some batches were left on skins for up to two weeks to extract additional colour and structure. Components selected for the wine were matured for 18 months in French oak hogsheads, of which 44% were new, and the balance in seasoned mix of hogsheads and puncheons.