ELDERTON, BAROSSA VALLEY, JIMMY WATSON RUNNER UP, SHIRAZ 1992

into neck

Grays Auctioneer, Tasting note:

This wine has a complex and spicy bouquet with a warm and flowing Shiraz flavour.

Australia’s Wine Show Awards are significant opinion makers “in-country”, however due to such award shows being under appreciated in the US the distinctions of merit are less recognized than traditional reviewer or publication scoring. At C4 we have found their judging and awards to be solid indicators of quality.

Unique amongst its peers and predecessors, Elderton from one little 72 acre vineyard succeeded in not only winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy but also had two Shiraz runner ups in the final taste off.

Success has come from a dedicated team whose commitment as been to grow grapes with incredible depth of flavour and complexity using optimum viticulture methods to nurture the vines, from very old Elderton grape vines.

Elderton Wines is a small, family owned and operated winery, situated in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The Elderton vineyard, which was planted in 1894 by the Scholz family, was purchased by the Ashmead family in the late 1970's and started producing labelled bottled estate wine from the 1982 harvest.

It was well after a decade of hard work and toil that the winery shot to prominence in the early 1990's, after winning the prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy at the 1993 Melbourne Wine Show. There has been an amazing amount of further wine show success including the World’s Best Shiraz Trophy at the 2000 London International Wine & Spirits Competition. Elderton has also enjoyed being the darling of the worlds wine press, with great endorsements given by James Halliday, Robert Parker, The Wine Spectator Magazine as well as countless others. Furthermore, in 2005, Elderton was named in the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirit Magazine.

The real strength behind the Elderton success is the ancient 72 acre Barossa Floor Vineyard, which produces fruit of the highest quality year in year out. Each block on the property is cherished but the two standouts are the Command Shiraz block (planted 1894) and the Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon block (planted 1944).

The wines of Elderton are enjoyed worldwide for their amazing qualities which come through from varietal character, regional definition and the unique and robust personalities of the Elderton team. In 2011, Elderton celebrated its 30th vintage as a winery and the Ashmeads still believe that the best is yet to come.