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| John Duval |
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.
After 28 years with Penfolds, one of Australia’s most celebrated wineries, 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 joined Penfolds in 1974 after completing his studies in agriculture and
winemaking. He was appointed Penfolds’ chief winemaker in 1986. During his
16-year tenure as chief winemaker, John helped establish Penfolds as one of the
world’s great wineries. While overseeing Grange, he was responsible for taking
the marquee wine to new heights, gaining international accolades along the way.
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.
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.
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