Museum Wines – Our November Retrospective Tasting
by Allister Ashmead and Cameron Malouf
On Saturday, 5 November we held our second tasting in the Elderton Retrospective Series – where we opened six museum wines from our cellar.
We are excited to see where these wines are in their evolution and today we are sharing our tasting notes about the museum wines we opened on Saturday.
The Retrospective Series looks at museum wines from the Estate and Exceptional Sites Ranges all the way to our flagships Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon and Command Shiraz. We invite you to join us for one of the upcoming tasting experiences where we will open six back vintage wines from across our range – all the details are at the bottom of this post.
Museum wine tasting notes from the Retrospective Series tasting event on 5 November 2022
1991 Cabernet Merlot
Still sweet fruited, with nimble forest berry fruit and fully integrated dark oak spice and unified structure, it is amazingly soft, elegant and delicate and lingers well on the palate.
Our recommendation – drink now
1998 CSM
Perfume of dusty earth and red fruits, complex yet settled palate. Black truffle and tar lead a rich earthy finish. A classic Barossa Cabernet Shiraz Merlot blend that is drinking beautifully.
Our recommendation – drink now
2001 Estate Shiraz
Aromas of tobacco and fig jam, the wine is rich and round, with up front flavours of caramelized strawberry and cane syrup, and a cigar like smoky finish. Still holding pretty good acidity for a warm vintage.
Our recommendation – drink now
2004 Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon
Yum! Blackcurrant and briary nose with lifted menthol, rich and lively structure comprising cedar, blackberry, molasses and cassis. Fine chalky grip on finish. Such a solid wine.
Our recommendation – drink now or in the next 5 – 8 years
2005 Command Shiraz
Perfume of crème brulee and sloe. Palate shows generous plum and macerated strawberry but very settled though advanced. Compact finish with some spice and oak shining through.
Our recommendation – drink now or in the next 5 years
2008 Neil Ashmead Grand Tourer Shiraz
Burnt cherry, some orange peel and smoked meats on nose. Generous notes of charcuterie, roasted beetroot and red capsicum with dark fruits on palate. Lengthy blueberry black pepper and truffle finish.
Our recommendation – drink now or in the next 5 – 10 years
Elderton Retrospective Tasting – upcoming event dates at Cellar Door
The upcoming dates are:
Saturday, 25 February 2023
Saturday, 23 April 2023
Saturday, 27 May 2023
Where: Elderton Cellar Door
Time: 11am
Duration: 1.5 hours
Each session we’ll select different vintages to explore in the Elderton Retrospective Tasting Flight which will include an accompanying cheese plate and at the end of the flight you’ll be invited to head to the bar for a complimentary tasting of new releases and to purchase an exclusive allocation of museum releases.