Ashmead – An Oft Unsung Hero of the Barossa
by Allister Ashmead
It is undeniable that the Ashmead family absolutely love Cabernet and Cabernet blends.
Our first release of Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon was in 1983, which was our second vintage and the year the vineyard was devastated by a one in 200-year flood! Then 9 years later, the 1992 vintage won the Jimmy Watson Trophy – bringing Elderton to the forefront of every Australian wine lover’s taste buds.
It was this same year that our family introduced the Cabernet Shiraz Merlot blend to the world, which is now lovingly known as Ode to Lorraine. Finally, Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon was added in 1998, to represent the absolute best of the best of Barossa old vine Cabernet Sauvignon.
On 1 September we happily launched the 22nd release of this wine – and what a wine it is!
Produced exclusively from a single block of vines planted in the early-to-mid 1940s, this is a vineyard that has struggled to produce a reasonable quantity of grapes for over 30 years. What this vineyard lacks in quantity, it overcompensates with outstanding quality.
With this vineyard now being an octogenarian, it is among the oldest and rarest old vine Cabernet on the planet.
Early reviews of this 2022 release have been glowing. 95 points from Halliday was a pretty good start, mirrored by Ray Jordan mentioning, “Elegant and restrained” and “vibrant and bright, with the capacity for extended cellaring.”
Ken Gargett commented, “A rich and powerful Cabernet from a very fine year… A superbly crafted wine…”
It is the Elderton team’s desire that Cabernet gets more attention and recognition from wine drinkers all over the globe. Our family certainly believe it belongs. We will continue to farm this vineyard with world’s best practices and hope you enjoy this beautiful old vine Barossa Cabernet as much as we all do.
Available now, online or in Cellar Door.
Story from our newsletter, the Elderton Buzz – September 2024 edition
