Reviews

E Series

2008 Unoaked Chardonnay Barossa

• Light, bright yellow. Fresh melon and peach on the nose, with a subtle note of spun sugar gaining strength with air. Gently sweet cantaloupe and pit fruit flavors are enlivened by a tangy orange peel note and provide good palate coverage. A touch soft on the finish; I'd serve this with a good chill. 87 POINTS - Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar Sept/October Issue

Friends/Eden Valley Series

2009 Eden Valley Chardonnay

• Next-gen Chardonnay in the fresh and crisp style with a shy little nose, bright and clean, subtle and delicate fruit, crunchy white nectarine more than anything. A lightly pithy and minerally feel. - Tony Love - The Advertiser January 2010

2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc

• The new release 2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc has won a Gold Medal at the 2009 Royal Adelaide Wine Show. Scoring 18.5/20, the wine rated equal second in class - an amazing result and places the 2009 Elderton amongst the best Sauv Blancs in Australia. - Royal Adelaide Wine Show

2009 Eden Valley Riesling

• Elderton has been making Riesling from the Eden Valley for 25 years. The grapes for this wine were sourced from two vineyards. Eden Valley to its back teeth. Ever so floral. Flavours of lime and lemon with a slatey aftertaste. Exemplary dryness. The finish almost feels grainy, it's so dry. It has 'lilt' to it too, in that the flavours swing through your mouth, rather than just bursting through to the finish. Means it has flavour as well as acid, I guess. And of course, this is part of why it feels so delicate. Lovely wine. - 92 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson,The Wine Front

2008 Friends Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

• This white blend gets a short hit of oak aging, so the bouquet is slightly smoky, with golden apple, lime and hazelnut richness. The flavours are mellow, with tropical mango, guava, lime and lemon peel leading into a zesty, lifted finish. - THESTAR.COM - Gordon Stimmell

2008 Friends Eden Valley Riesling

• This is the last of this sub brand and will be rebranded from 2009. Piercing crisp lemon and lime characters. Lovely fine acid with a long finish. From largely a single vineyard. Has excellent length and persistence. Elderton are going to make a significant statement with riesling. Won a trophy in Perth in 2008. - 91/100 - Ray Jordan
• Strong lemon/lime accents,already a whiff of petrol and mineral and then a quartzy crunchy palate with lemon/lime and some blossomy characters that’s just a little chunky. Finish is good and the whole package drinks and works well. I’d be inclined to drink this young and fresh. - 90 POINTS - Gary Walsh

2008 Friends Shiraz

• The 2008 Shiraz Friends is dark ruby-coloured with an expressive perfume of spice box, lavender, smoked meat, and blueberry. Smooth-textured, layered, and savoury, this spicy, tasty effort has good grip, depth, and length. It, too, can be enjoyed over the next 8 years. - 90 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER

2008 Friends Cabernet Sauvignon

• Strong black currant aromas with dark plum and light oak. Lush opulent fruit on the palate. From a new vineyard that has been brought by Elderton in 2007. Excited by the new vineyard. Delicious and succulent with obvious fruit intensity. Lovely texture. - 88/100 - Ray Jordan
• Inky ruby. Powerfully scented bouquet evokes spicy cherry, red berry and vanilla, with a subtle peppery note picking up strength with air. Extremely fresh in the mouth, offering tangy redcurrant and cherry flavors and a spicy, peppery quality. Still extremely young and in need of some patience, or decanting. 89(+) POINTS - Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar Sept/October Issue
• 09 Top new wine releases. The friends here refers to the grape growers. It's fresh and vibrant in its spicy, cedary, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas and flavours. The palate has concentration and depth above its station; it's focused bright and properly ripe. - 92 Points, Gourmet Wine Traveller - Feb/March 09 Issue
• Bright ruby. Smoky red- and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by dried flowers and black tea. Sweet and velvety, with open-knit red and dark fruit flavours, soft tannins and a late note of anise. This very easy-to-drink wine finishes with good cut and clarity. 89 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

Estate Range

2007 Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon

• The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Elderton Estate is also a bit more restrained than normal. Purple-coloured, it displays aromas of toast, violets, pencil lead, cassis, and blackberry. This structured effort will evolve for 2-3 years and offer prime drinking through 2022. - 90 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER
• Some leathery/earthy nuances on the bouquet diminish on the powerful palate, with strong blackcurrant fruit and a jab of dark chocolate. Built to last. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 91
• “Picture–perfect cabernet. It tastes of chocolate, blackcurrant and cedar and, while there are evident tannins, this is a wine that is all about flavour. It finishes grainy, chocolatey and fresh, with quite a bit of lingering acidity – all within the boundaries of balance. Oh, it’s good alright!" - 92 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
• The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Nuriootpa exhibits an enticing nose of cedar, spice box, black currant, and blackberry. Layered on the palate, it has intense flavours with good concentration and balance. It will evolve for several more years and drink well from 2011 to 2021. - 91 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009
• Medium red. Spicy cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose, with a kick of cracked pepper. Soft and approachable, with vivid red and dark berry flavours, gentle tannins and building sweetness. Finishes with impressive clarity and persistence. This is drinking well already. 90 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2006 Barossa Shiraz

• This is an impressive and powerful Shiraz with touches of gamey fruit cake and deep underlying power. Has a succulent fruitiness that you don't normally associated with Elderton. Aim has been to keep the fruit integrity of the wines intact with some largely older American oak in support. Stylish, expressive wine. - 92/100 - Ray Jordan
• This is the little brother to Elderton’s flagship Command Shiraz, one of the more attractive blockbuster styles in the Barossa. It’s a smooth, nicely balanced red that’s starting to show some savoury complexities from development, with licorice, chocolate and aniseed to the fore. It’s not too oaky nor alcoholic, but is full of honest Barossa flavour, fruit-sweet on the mid-palate and with a lush, silky texture. Just delicious. Drink it now and for the next 8 to 10 years. - Best Buy Wines - $30 AUD and under. Huon Hooke, Gourmet Wine Traveller Magazine - June/July 2009 issue
• “Easy-drinking appeal, sure, but a damn fine example of it. It tastes of cherry, blackberries, earth and ground coffee, with cedary oak offering firm support. It’s moderately intense with a sweet, malty aftertaste and very good length." - 91 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
• The best value buy! - Gourmet Wine Traveller Magazine
• The 2006 Shiraz Nuriootpa was sourced from 60-year-old vines. Deep crimson-coloured, it has an already multifaceted perfume of smoke, black pepper, bacon, and blueberry. This leads to a smooth-textured, ripe Shiraz with layers of savory fruit, soft tannins, and a pure finish. Drink it over the next eight years. - 91 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009
• Bright ruby. Sexy oak spices and blackberry on the nose, with a deeper boysenberry quality developing with air. Sappy and velvety in texture, with penetrating dark berry, bitter cherry skin and baking spice flavours. Finishes broad, sweet and long, repeating the dark fruit notes and leaving an alluring violet pastille note behind. 91 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2006 Barossa Merlot

• Elegant medium bodied Merlot with a silky smooth palate. Fine cedary mainly French oak woven expertly into the fruit. Has a light fruit cake and red berry character with an effortlessly long sustained palate. - 89/100 - Ray Jordan
• Wine of the Week Elderton Barossa Merlot 2005 Regular readers will know I’m not usually a fan of merlot, which imbues this Wine Of The Week with special meaning. It is a ripping red and also good value (again, not often true of merlot). It’s of the full-bodied, rich and fully ripe, warm-climate style and is probably not a wine that will gain great complexity or subtlety with age, but it’s a delicious drink while young. Sweet fruit, vanilla and a touch hummus to sniff; fleshy and full-throttle in the mouth with rich, ample fruit flavour and soft, supple tannins that clean and gently dry the finish. Easy drinking now and for at least five or six years. 93/100. - Huon Hooke - Sydney Morning Herald, Good Living, March 4, 2008
• “It’s been seven years sine the WINE tasting panel – Peter Bourne, Nick Bulleid MW, Andrew Caillard MW, Peter Forrestal, Huon Hooke and Sophie Otton – looked at merlot. The improvements are impressive….. We tasted 79 wines, in groups of 10 and at a relaxed pace, so that every wine had an opportunity to speak to us. We were pleased to find many wines with generous flavours, which suggested that increasing vine age and the learning curve were delivering better wines than in our 2001 tasting.” Elderton Barossa Merlot 2005 shows a complex mix of red fruits, prominent cedary oak and some earthiness from bottle-age. Caillard loved it: “Fragrant, cranberry and redcurrant, with grilled meats and cedar. Concentrated palate, with mocha and oak, finishing with fine-grained, chalky tannins.” We thought the round, fleshy palate – typically Barossa – was a great feature of the wine. Enjoy it now and over the next five years. Five Stars. 93/100 (rated as outstanding - the top wine of the tasting) - Nick Bulleid MW, Gourmet Traveller WINE, April/May 2008

2007 Barossa Zinfandel

• Ultra-ripe bouquet of blue and black fruit confiture; the palate is juicy, warm, ripe and a little chocolatey; everything you could expect from the variety. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 90

2007 Botrytis Semillon

• Orange-gold color. Powerful aromas of apricot, cling peach and chestnut honey are complemented by notes of green tea and smoke. Fleshy, palate-coating pit fruit and honey flavors are extremely deep and gently chewy, picking up cinnamon and clove notes on the back end. Very rich wine with excellent finishing thrust and sappy persistence. This is a dessert in itself. 91 POINTS - Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar Sept/October Issue
• Typical glowing gold; not as luscious as some, which is no bad thing; candy cumquat vanilla flavours. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 90
• This delicious 2007 Botrytis Semillion has aromas of mango, apricots with hints of mixed nuts with an amazing explosion of pineapple flavours which give way to fantastic lemon like acidity. Expect this wine to drink superbly over the short to mid term, and with good cellaring, those that love old, gentile marmalade characters in their botrytis will be truly rewarded. - 90 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009

2008 Barossa Merlot

• “There’s a bit of rich, smooth oak here, so to like the wine you have to be prepared to cop this, err, sweet. It tasted of chocolate and blackberries, cedarwood and mulberries, the fruit fleshiness of it offset by firm, almost ironstone-like tannins. It has reasonable length and a good mix of both plump fruit generosity and admirable restraint. Not too shabby!" - 91 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
• Although perhaps not easily identifiable as a Merlot, there is no question that this is a great Barossa red. It's packed with layers of ripe black fruits and liquorice, underlaid by savoury oak and well-integrated tannins. - 91 POINTS - Tyson Stelzer, Wine 100 - May Issue 2009
• Bright red. Red berry, cherry, chocolate and mint on the nose. Deeper cherry pit and cassis flavours are unencumbered by tannins and betray no rough edges. Supple and inviting merlot, finishing clean and sweetly persistent. 89 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2006 Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon

• This is a beautiful refined and very elegant Cabernet from the Barossa. Mainly American oak, with most old. There has been a conscious effort to drop the oak influence. Beautifully integrated with the fruit and oak in perfect harmony. Like this new style for Elderton. - 90/100 - Ray Jordan

2007 Barossa Shiraz

• The estate wines begin with the dark crimson-coloured 2007 Shiraz Elderton Estate. Aromas of Asian spices, smoked meat, lavender, and blueberry lead to a spicy, ripe, flavourful Shiraz with a bit less depth and a bit more structure than normal, likely due to the challenging vintage. Nevertheless, it is a strong effort that will flesh out over the next 2-3 years and drink well through 2019. - 90 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER

Elite Range

2007 Barossa Ashmead Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

• The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Ashmead has an attractive nose of cigar box, sage, earth notes, cassis, and black currant. Savoury and complex on the palate, it lacks the depth and concentration of a top year. Drink it from 2011 to 2019. - 91 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER
• Lurid violet colour. Wild, ripe and pungent aromas of dark berries, spicecake, smoke and potpourri; smells like a cult Napa wine. Big rich and full, with alluring sweetness to the blueberry, blackberry, rose pastille and candied liquorice flavours. Spreads out on the back, finishing with penetrating sweetness and substantial but velvety tannins. I could see this wine improving for at least a decade. - Josh Raynolds of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
• Gold and Top in Class - “Deep ruby colour just paling at rim, alluring complexity on the nose with smoke and mint, fruit and vanilla, very expressive and very Australian. Excellent integration on the palate, serious, almost austere vinosity with a big dollop of oak. Silky texture and a very sweet entry allied with luscious spicy notes and firm acidity. Great winemaking and made to last.” - 2009 International Wine and Spirit Competition

2008 Neil Ashmead GTS Grand Tourer Shiraz

• The 2008 Neil Ashmead GTS is a Shiraz cuvee from the riper 2008 vintage. Purple-coloured, it has an alluring bouquet of damp earth, lavender, pepper, bacon and blueberry. Full bodied on the palate, it has a glossy texture, layered flavours bordering on opulent, incipient complexity, plenty of depth and richness, and a long, fruit-filled finish. It can be enjoyed now but will drink well for a decade. - 92 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER
• Opaque ruby. Deep, brooding aromas of cherry pit, blackcurrant, licorice, espresso and dried violet. Spicy, palate-numbing cherry and dark berry flavors are refreshingly bitter and sharply focused, with fine-grained tannins adding grip. Juicy and subtly sweet on the finish, which strongly echoes the spice notes and clings with excellent clarity and persistence. This will repay patience. 92 POINTS - Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar Sept/October Issue
• Vibrant colour; dark blackberry, tar and licorice aromas unite on the bouquet; the palate is fully loaded with sweet fruit, chewy tannin yet shows lightness on its feet through fine acid on the finish; playful packaging, but a serious wine. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 95

2006 Barossa Ashmead Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

• An elegant, medium-bodied wine, with some regional dusty/earthy inputs adding to complexity; the French oak is well integrated with blackcurrant fruit and a clean finish. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 92
• This opens with a strongly oak-influenced, toasty-barrel, mocha-like nose, which yields blackberry fruit as it breathes. Grippingly tannic palate with chewy super-ripe fruit. Very impressive and worth cellaring. - Top 100 New Releases, 5 STARS and 93 POINTS. Huon Hooke, Gourmet Wine Traveller Magazine - June/July issue 2009.
• The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Ashmead is a single vineyard selection aged for 18 months in new French 300 litre barrels (aka hogsheads). It offers up a superb bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, scorched earth, espresso, spice box, black currant, and blackberry liqueur. Opulent on the palate, it has gobs of succulent black fruit, well-concealed ripe tannins, impeccable balance, and a long finish. Cellar it for 5-7 years and drink it from 2014 to 2028. - 95 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009

2006 Ode to Lorraine Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

• The purple-coloured 2005 Ode to Lorraine is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Shiraz, and 14% Merlot. The attractive nose exhibits smoke, spice box, cassis, black currant, and blueberry leading to a smooth-textured, easygoing, forward wine with plenty of spicy fruit and incipient complexity. Drink this seamless effort over the next eight years . The 2006 Ode to Lorraine reveals a similar personality but with slightly more richness, depth, and length. It will benefit from another 2-3 years of cellaring. - 92 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER
• A soft red and black fruit bouquet, with Christmas cake spice on display; the palate is soft and fleshy on entry, with good texture, chewy tannin and oak providing length on the finish. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 90
• Contains only a small proportion of merlot so just manages to meet our definition of the blend. Moechtar liked its ‘ripe red black fruits and nice floral aroma’. He also found ‘coffee from new oak, sandy, gravelly tannins on the finish and good length.’ This is a full-bodied wine that is developing a complex, cigar-box bouquet. Oak makes a contribution, but it has been well handled and the tannins are fine and balanced. It’s ready now and will age for several years. - Top 20 wines over $25 AUD, 4 STARS - ‘Dual Alliance’ Tasting by Nick Bulleid MW, Gourmet Wine Traveller Magazine - June/July 2009 issue.
• “We’ve found a lot of delicious wines this year, and this is among the best of them. It’s warm and soft, and it fills your mouth with mocha-like, blackberried flavour, and as you swallow it your mouth feels as though it’s just received a drenching from heaven. As a red to warm up your winter, everything is positive about this full-flavoured wine." - 94 POINTS and Number 6 in the Top 25 of the year - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh
• The 2006 Ode To Lorraine reveals similar personality but with slightly more richness, depth, and length. It will benefit from another 2-3 years cellaring. - 92 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009
• Deep ruby-red. Brooding cherry, mulberry and spiced plum aromas are complemented by an exotic fig jam quality. Midweight dark berry flavours become richer with air, picking up suggestions of smoky Indian spices and candied flowers. Leaves spicy red and dark berry preserve notes behind on the strikingly long, penetrating finish. 92 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2006 Barossa Command Single Vineyard Shiraz

• 17.5 Points Drink 2009-19 "Vines planted 1894. They are apparently employing a historian to check the vine-planting records, and are paying him in wine. Rich and flattering with very nice balance. There’s a slight element of ‘dry port’ about it, lots of VA and alcohol for example, but this is pure Oz. They age it first in new oak and then used oak apparently. You could enjoy this easily already. Apparently the 1986 and 1988 are drinking beautifully now! Unctuous. There’s a bit of salt and umami." - Jancis Robinson rates 2005 Command Shiraz 17.5/20
• Lavish 34 months in American (dominant) oak has resulted in an army greatcoat of oak wrapped around the undeniably good fruit, the latter giving the palate length. - James Halliday, 2010 Edition - Rating: 90
• Another big ‘05 and another exceptionally attractive wine. Command has the ability to be brutish when it wishes but I have not seen this character emerge in the ‘05, favouring as it does a more statesmen-like position with its noble array of dark berry flavours and decadent tobacco and chocolate nuances. - Matthew Jukes - Top 100 Best Australian Wine 2009
• Thirty-four months in oak is a long time, but this concentrated shiraz handles it surprisingly well. It has more interest and life than some of its similarly pricey Barossa neighbours. Spicy blackberry and blackcurrant-like fruit form the core, and charry vanillin oak is applied liberally. It's big, lush and velvety with ripe, grippy tannins. - 5 Stars - Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age - March Issue 2009
• Elderton's flagship is the single vineyard Command Shiraz, a wine with serious aging potential, and one with which all other South Australia Shiraz must be compared. The opaque purple/black 2005 Command was aged in French and American oak puncheons (500 litre barrels). It offers up a sexy/kinky bouquet of wood smoke, lavender, leather, game, mineral, black raspberry, and blueberry pie. Voluptuous on the palate, complex, and dense, it demands a decade of cellaring after which it should offer hedonists much pleasure through 2035. - 97 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009
• Inky ruby colour Vibrant raspberry, cherry-vanilla and coconut aromas are complemented by candied liquorice and smoky minerals. Pliant, palate-coating red and dark berry preserve flavours are perked up by Asian spices and smoky minerals. Pretty exotic but not over the top, with gentle tannins adding shape and focus to the long, sweet finish. This is downright sexy today. 94 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2005 Ode to Lorraine Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

• With the distinct dark chocolate and berries of the Barossa, this oozes richness and offers a little tarry regional stamp. The cabernet ripened nicely in '05, rolled out with some shiraz and merlot, the oak's been swallowed deep and the wine is really knitted together. Finishes with plenty of vanillin and cocobut oak character, caramel too. 93 POINTS. - Nick Stock’s 2010 Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide
• Don't be put off by the glaring pink label. Distinct dark chocolate and Barossa berries here, this oozes richness and even offers a little tarry accent - plenty of vanilla, caramel and coconut oak too. Nicely ripened Cabernet tannins roll out with Shiraz and Merlot, drinking now but will reward patience. - 93 POINTS - Nick Stock, Wine 100 - May 2009 Issue
• The 2005 Elderton Ode To Lorraine CSM has come in at number 16 in Wine Specator's Top 100 Wines of 2008. We were very proud and excited to make this prestigious list for the 3rd time in the last nine years, which rounds up the years most exciting wines. - Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2008
• The purple-coloured 2005 Ode To Lorraine is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Shiraz and 14% Merlot. The attractive nose exhibits smoke, spice box, cassis, black currant, and blueberry leading to a smooth-textured, easygoing, forward wine with plenty of spicy fruit and incipient complexity. Drink this seamless effort over the next eight years. - 91 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2009
• 39% Shiraz and 14% merlot) Saturated ruby colour. Explosively perfumed, sexy bouquet of ripe red and dark berries, incense and oak spices. Supple cherry-vanilla and black raspberry flavours coat the palate and are enlivened by tangy minerals and rose pastille. Gains depth and sweetness with air, finishing with outstanding breadth and persistence. Very appealing now but has the depth to age. 93 points - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue

2006 Barossa Command Single Vineyard Shiraz

• The 2006 Shiraz Command is a glass-coating opaque purple. Aromas of scorched earth, pencil lead, sandalwood, meat blood, game, and blueberry are followed by a dense, voluptuous, layered Shiraz with tons of flavour. Impeccably balanced and concealing enough structure for 5-7 years of cellaring, it will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2026. - 94 POINTS - ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE, REVIEWS BY JAY MILLER
• 8 of the Best Barossa Wines. Elderton 2004 Command Shiraz A block-buster style of red that typifies the best of the Barossa. Made from fruit from a 104-year-old single vineyard, matured in new oak puncheons, this is dark, smoky and intense. Full-bodied and potentially long lived, it’s a wine to put hair on your chest. - Windsor Dobbin – Golf Magazine, August 2008