Elderton’s Wine Range – October 2022
With both the 2019 and 2020 vintages well down in average yields we have moved very quickly through some of those wine (some selling out in just 4 months) and so have had a number of new vintage releases recently.
If you have any questions about our wines, please contact our Cellar Door team on 08 8568 7878 or by email.
Command is truly an expression of place, and we are proud to be the current custodians of a rare piece of Barossa Valley viticultural heritage. Single vineyard, planted 1894, the Command block is celebrating 128 years in 2022, and is considered an Ancestor vineyard by the Barossa Old Vine Charter.
Gold Medal, Decanter World Wine Awards 2021
“Take Ancestor Vines (planted in 1894), a great vintage, experienced winemaking, add 30 months of aging in American and French oak, and the result is the stunning 2018 Command Single Vineyard Shiraz. Boasting fabulous density and concentration… a rich, supple yet structured mouthfeel, and a long, mouthwatering finish.”
96 points, Wine Advocate“A great release of Command, this carries the bold and deeply flavorful style of the vintage effortlessly, a vintage that played into the natural style of this rich Barossa Valley shiraz. There’s so much to love about this wine, from the rich blackberry, red-plum and spice aromas and flavors to the silky, fine and long tannins. Floats long on the smooth finish.”
96 points, Nick Stock on JamesSuckling.com
2020 HELBIG 1915 SHIRAZ *new vintage*
Only 537 bottles produced, from the 1915 Shiraz block at our Greenock vineyard. Magnums also available.
“An impressively proportioned wine with considerable fruit density and power… It’s no wallflower with a thick-shouldered, lumbering gait across the palate, super-concentrated black fruits, tight assertive tannins the provide savoury support and a hint of alcohol on the intense finish. One for the power hounds.”
95 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion 2023
“This is a wine for the long haul…”
96 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
2019 ODE TO LORRAINE CABERNET, SHIRAZ, MERLOT
Named in honour of Lorraine Ashmead, co-founder of Elderton, the winemaking team at Elderton believe this is truly the hidden gem of our premium reds and one we know cellars brilliantly.
After a relatively easy-going few years, 2019 was a vintage to remind us that we are actually farmers at the whim of the weather. Owing to the warm and very dry ripening season, fruit flavours are intense and fermentation was managed carefully to ensure balanced tannin extraction. On the palate, you’ll find dark red fruits and cassis with brooding spice and a subtle chocolate note. This wine also boasts a serious tannin profile owing to the vintage, with a boldness of fruit that lengthens the palate.
Winemaker comments from Jules and Brock“…opens with classic cabernet aromatics of blackcurrant, cedar aromas with herb garden and praline complexity. Well concentrated, there are rich cassis and blackberry flavours underpinned by fine but significant grainy tannins finishing long with cigarbox complexity.”
95 points, The Vintage Journal Barossa Guide 2022 by Andrew Caillard MW and Angus Hughson“From a challenging vintage yet it has all come together beautifully. Blackcurrant merged with notes of leaf and chalky oyster shell. The palate is tightly focused with a balanced oak and tannin. Bright and lively with so much palate energy.”
93 points, Ray Jordan
2021 NEIL ASHMEAD GRAND TOURER SHIRAZ *new vintage*
A tribute to an amazing individual who was always willing to push the boundaries of expectations.
“Ultra seductive red wine. Cedarwood oak on blackcurrant, redcurrant and crushed, woodsy spices. It rolls softly through the mouth but still feels fresh; there’s nothing gloopy about this. Complexity probably isn’t its strong suit but gee the fruit is lovely. You just want to sit down, settle in, sink in and enjoy. Lifted aromatics, lots of fruit, silken mouthfeel and good carry through the finish; ticks in all boxes.”
93 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2020 BAROSSA SHIRAZ *new vintage*
2020 presented a challenging year with minute yields, smaller than average berry size and intense flavour. Our Barossa Shiraz comes from many parcels across our three vineyard sites. These vineyards ripen differently owing to their different aspects, elevation and soil types. Our Greenock vineyard is on the western end of the Barossa, first to ripen for us and always brings a vibrant bouquet and punchy tannin to our blend. Our Nuriootpa plantings bring a depth of tannin and a lovely sweet spiced fruit element and our Craneford vineyard is a more elevated site on leaner soils ripening later in the season.
2021 BAROSSA CABERNET SAUVIGNON *new vintage*
“This is a fresh-faced style but what sets it apart is the depth of fruit. Blackcurrant flavours sweep through the palate, aided by briar, bay leaves, boysenberry and violets. Oak plays a minor role at most; dark fruit flavours have both hands on the steering wheel.”
91 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2021 BAROSSA MERLOT *new vintage*
In 2021, after a couple of dry years, we experienced a more normal season with good spring rains to allow for a decent canopy and great growing conditions for our newer plantings of Merlot. We see abundant fruit and vibrancy in this edition of our Merlot, owing to the very favourable vintage weather with little rain and no heat spikes leading into harvest time.
2020 BULLET SHIRAZ *CELLAR DOOR & MAILING LIST ONLY*
Having suffered through a small vintage in 2019, and with early forecasting suggesting 2020 was going to be similar, the Elderton team used our local network to source grapes for this label which is exclusive to you, our Commanders and Eldertonians, who are remarkable supporters of the Ashmead family.
2022 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING *new vintage*
There is no doubt that 2022 will be remembered as a great year for Riesling. We have kept our expression of 2022 as pure as possible, with as little intervention as we could. The result is a pristine example of Eden Valley Riesling. We are sure this wine
will live a long time.
As a single site wine, our Eden Valley Chardonnay will always show typicity of the vineyard, whilst varying with what each season brings. We are on a constant learning journey adapting to what the season brings. Our Chardonnay is a serious interpretation, from an excellent vintage.
2021 BAROSSA SEMILLON
This is our third release of dry Semillon, from our Greenock vineyard. The 2021 Barossa Semillon is rich, textural and expressive. A supple and generous palate with creamy weight intertwined with notes of lemon curd, grassy tones and a generous yet vibrant finish.
DUKE OF WELLINGTON CELLAR TAWNY
*CELLAR DOOR & MAILING LIST ONLY*
*Special Release*Duke of Wellington was the name of our tawny port made through the 1980s and we have revived the name for this wine. It is a tribute to Lorraine’s late father (named Wellington, nicknamed Duke) who originally found and bought the Nuriootpa property in the late 1970s.
2022 GOLDEN SEMILLON *new vintage*
Our Golden Semillon is not produced every year – only when vintage conditions are considered favourable for a later harvest of our Semillon, allowing the development of the unique characters required in this luscious style.
If you have any questions about our wines, please contact our Cellar Door team on 08 8568 7878 or by email.
Story from our newsletter, the Elderton Buzz – October 2022 edition
