2007 Sequel - 93 Points Ripe and round, delivering a lively mouthful of blueberry, plum, floral, and white pepper flavors that cascade around one another through the long, vivid finish.  Drink now through 2017.

 

Since Sequel’s inception in 2003, John has worked with a diverse selection of Columbia Valley vineyards to craft a deeply concentrated and layered wine. Syrah from The Benches (formerly known as Wallula Vineyards) and Alder Ridge, in the Horse Heaven Hills, gives the wine its structure. Boushey Vineyard Syrah, from the Yakima Valley, adds freshness and balance. Mature vines from Bacchus Vineyard near Pasco provide complexity and dimension, while vineyards in and around Red Mountain give the wine its backbone and rich texture.

 
Few winemakers are as synonymous with the iconic wines of a country as John Duval, best known for his work with Penfolds’ Grange, the gold standard for Australian Shiraz.
 
John joined Penfolds winery in 1974 after completing his studies in agriculture and winemaking. He was appointed Penfolds’ chief winemaker in 1986. During his 16-year tenure, John helped establish Penfolds as one of the world’s most celebrated wineries.   While his honors and awards are too numerous to list, some of the highlights include the Robert Mondavi Trophy for Winemaker of the Year in 1989 at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in London; two-time recipient of the Red Winemaker of the Year award at the International Wine Challenge in London, first in 1991 and then again in 2000; and Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year” award in 1995 for the 1990 vintage of Penfolds Grange.
 
After 28 years, John stepped down from the company in 2002 to establish John Duval Wines, recently debuting with the 2003 vintage of Plexus. In addition to making his own wine, John traveled to the Columbia Valley in 2003 at the invitation of Long Shadows Vintners’ founder Allen Shoup to make his first U.S. wine, Sequel, a name chosen in recognition of his life’s work with Syrah.
 
John grew up south of Adelaide on a sheep farm where his parents also cultivated a small vineyard. While at Penfolds, John’s family supplied their finest Shiraz grapes and vine cuttings to the winery.
 
Never one to be far from great Shiraz, he currently resides in the Barossa Valley, home to some of Australia’s oldest vines.