The Elderton Command Shiraz has established an enviable reputation since the first vintage in 1984. It is often regarded as one of Australia’s best and most highly acclaimed wines. Accolades have come from the world over for vintages such as the 1992, which was chosen by the influential wine critic Robert Parker in his U.S. magazine the Wine Advocate as one of the world’s Top 80 wines. The 1995 Command was awarded 95 points by Wine Spectator and placed in their Top 100 wines; the 2000 was awarded 97 points by the same magazine and placed 27 in their Top 100. The 1996 Command won the trophy for the Best Shiraz in the World at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition.
96 POINTS - DAVE BROOKES, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2023
Rich and commanding as always, with intense dark plum, blackberry and black cherry fruits, fruitcake spice, black strap licorice, high-cocoa dark chocolate, cedar and roasting meats. Full bodied and pure with superb fruit depth, superfine gypsum-like tannins and a concentrated and balanced finish that lingers admirably.
95 POINTS - ERIN LARKIN, THE WINE ADVOCATE ISSUE
This 2019 Command Single Vineyard Shiraz is hugely concentrated, coiled and long... The fruit has such intensity that a couple more years isn’t going to bother it in the least. By “a couple more years,” I am of course meaning 10 or 15 plus.
94 POINTS - JAMESSUCKLING.COM
A rich and dense wine but it remains compacted and very polished with plush tannins and a fresh, tangy finish... Really attractive now but can age well too.
| Winemakers Comments |
The winter preceding the 2018 vintage delivered sufficient rainfall to set up the vines for a healthy growing season. There was very little rain to interfere with ripening and this also allowed us to make all picking decisions based purely on fruit profile. From the river we see a gradual increase in clay content across the rows which corresponds with a decrease in vigour over the block. For this reason we harvest the block in several batches aiming to achieve the perfect balance in each batch. We harvested the 2018 Command Shiraz over three weeks from 7 - 22 March, bringing a little fruit in earlier with a tight acid line and the last fruit to come in with a deeper, more plush palate weight to balance. We used a combination of heading boards and standard open fermentation combined with a small amount of barrel fermentation to create the Command blend. Post pressing our Command batches were transferred to a combination of new French and American oak from coopers we know and trust. Here the wine went through malolactic fermentation and further ageing to allow the powerful fruit to come together with the tannin profile present in the fruit and oak. - Jules and Brock
|
| Style |
Rich, powerful and elegant |
| Colour |
Deep crimson |
| Aroma |
Lifted red fruits and plummy depth with hints of spicy oak |
| Palate |
Rich and attractive spicy fresh ripe berries, supported by silky tannins that together provide a focused structure, and a powerful yet elegant finish flush with fruit to balance the tannins |
| Maturation |
30 months in new French and American puncheons |
| Drink |
Drink now or cellar confidently for 15 - 20 years |
| Alcohol/Volume |
14.6% |
