Elderton 2005 Command Shiraz Feb 09

Tasting Note

Sydney Time

Elderton 2005 Command Shiraz Feb 09

The last time I received an iconic bottle from Elderton, I commented about the amount of trees that were consumed by the accompanying paperwork, which was printed on uber-thick cardstock. I should add that Elderton is one of the first Oz wineries to be carbon neutral, so in the scheme of things, it was not as bad as it looked. However, I am delighted to say that when this bottle arrived, the three pages (two less than last time), were printed on normal paper. On ya’ boys!

The nose was petulant, reticent and didn’t want to show what was under the covers, but all it takes is one sip to know that you have something special here. As it opened up, over a period of many hours, the spicy oak started to dominate the bouquet. An impeccably balanced and seriously structured drop that has been build for the long haul and whilst it slumbered for 34 months in oak, the strong, deep, pristine fruit is up to the task. It’s a muscular-weight wine that is steel-belt tight and the only thing it needs is time, although it is approachable now with a big decant. The plum, dark chocolate, vanilla and five spice flavours finish very, very, long and with Richard Branson like persistence. Rated as Excellent with *** for value, the rating will improve when it is in its peak drinking window between 2014 and 2025. I would buy this without a second thought, something I don’t say lightly with wines at this price ($95); its sealed under screwcap.

When many small makers produce an icon level wine, they continually bang on about the vine age, winemaking process etc, etc. Especially when they are reasonably new producers without a long track record. Why am I telling you this? Well, the 2005 vintage of Command Shiraz is the twenty-fifth release under this label, so it does have a track record. Elderton doesn’t need to trumpet the fact that it is sourced from vines that were planted in 1904. It is cropped at between .4 ton and .8 ton to the acre, and it has been awarded more medals than George Patton and Monte combined. They don’t have to blow their own horn and are happy to let the wine speak for itself, which it does brilliantly.