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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2020 Command Shiraz, Elderton Wine Republic

2021 Command Shiraz, Elderton

Barossa Valley, Australia

Ancestral Velvet

Powerful, richly layered and beautifully composed, Command is one of the Barossa’s great old-vine Shirazes. The 2021 opens with vibrant red berries, ripe plum and blackberry, gradually revealing dark chocolate, liquorice and fragrant oak spice. Hints of clove, cedar and earthy savouriness lend depth to the generous fruit, while a striking freshness keeps the aromas lifted. This is a wine with considerable presence, yet its detail is just as compelling as its intensity.

The palate is full-bodied and sumptuous, with concentrated fruit carried by finely woven tannins that build quietly through the mouth. Dark chocolate and warm spice enrich the middle, balanced by a freshness that gives shape and direction to the wine’s considerable depth. The finish is long, polished and resonant, with fruit and savoury complexity unfolding together. Decant it for a special dinner now, or cellar it patiently: this is a flagship Shiraz with the structure to reward years of attention.

For when: The roast is on the table, and you have been saving something worthy of it.

Pairs with: Serve with roast rib of beef, rosemary-studded shoulder of lamb, venison loin with juniper jus, slow-braised beef cheeks, grilled portobello mushrooms with black garlic or mature farmhouse Cheddar.

First made in 1984, Command comes from a single block of Shiraz planted in 1894 at Elderton’s Nuriootpa estate. These vines were 127 years old at the 2021 harvest and qualify as an Ancestor vineyard under the Barossa Old Vine Charter. The wine represents both the estate’s flagship and a remarkable piece of living vineyard history, preserved by the Ashmead family for future generations.

Whats in the bottle
100% Shiraz

Notable Awards
98 points, Ken Gargett, Winepilot

£79.00 - £79.00
£79.00
£79.00 - £79.00
£79.00
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Elderton’s modern story began when Neil and Lorraine Ashmead took on a neglected vineyard and its adjoining homestead in Nuriootpa. They restored the old vines, producing their first wine under the Elderton label in 1982. Their determination helped preserve a vineyard originally planted by the Scholz family in 1894, at a time when the future of many old Barossa vineyards was uncertain.

The original estate lies beside the North Para River, with variations in soil and clay content creating distinct growing conditions across the vineyard. The ancient Command block remains its most celebrated site. Elderton’s wider vineyard holdings allow the family to explore other Barossa expressions, but the concentration, structure and longevity of Nuriootpa Shiraz sit at the heart of its reputation.

Second-generation brothers Cameron and Allister Ashmead now lead the family business, with Jules Ashmead overseeing production and working alongside winemaker Brock Harrison. Their approach combines the preservation of old vines with careful vineyard management, restrained irrigation and a focus on long-term sustainability. The aim is to produce wines with unmistakable Barossa character while protecting the vineyards that make them possible.in. None of this will change.

Made from 100% estate-grown Shiraz from the Command block at Nuriootpa, planted in 1894. The 2021 fruit was harvested between 17 and 30 March. Increasing clay content across the block affects vine vigour and ripening, so the fruit was gathered in several separate picks to capture the balance of each section.

The parcels were fermented separately in open cement vats for seven to fourteen days. The wines then went directly into oak, where they underwent malolactic fermentation and continued their maturation.

Ageing lasted twenty-four months in new French and American oak puncheons. Careful barrel selection determined the final blend, bringing together the vineyard’s concentrated fruit, persistent tannins and layered oak character. Elderton recommends a cellaring horizon of fifteen to twenty years from vintage.

Alcohol: 14.9%. Recommended drinking window: now–2041.

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