2014 Elderton Command Single Vineyard Shiraz Barossa Valley 750 ml

In Australia, just a handful of elite Shiraz producers—Penfolds, Henschke, Torbreck—can be considered in the same league as the Barossa’s legendary Elderton.

Given the rapturous critical acclaim the 2014 release has received, this bottle will be a shoo-in for veterans putting the finishing touches on a priceless collection, and those just beginning to assemble a library of investment-worthy bottles. “Hewn of 1894 ancient vine oomph and tannin management of aplomb, this is power corseted by a filmy, gossamer texture and sheer, strident vinosity,” wrote James Halliday in his 97-point rhapsodic poem of praise. “The wine could come from nowhere else.” With 96 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate declared it “quintessential Barossa Shiraz.”

The 2014 Elderton Command asserts itself as first-class collector material from the moment the garnet-hued Shiraz splashes into the glass, sending up a bouquet of muddled blackberry, licorice, black olives, and spice. The staying power of this wine, with its dense concentration and mineral-tinged finish, is remarkable.

The secret to all that intensity, and by extension Elderton’s incredible three-decade run of success, is its crown jewel Command block, first planted in 1894. Recognized by the Barossa Old Vine Charter as a centenarian block, the 120-year-old vines eke out just a half-ton of fruit per acre—a quantitatively meager reward for the tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours the Ashmead family has lavished on its care.

Situated on deep alluvial silt and red earth on the gently sloping banks of the North Para River, the rows are planted east-west for ideal exposure to sunlight. All pruning and harvesting is done meticulously by hand. The five parcels are picked in sequence over the course of five weeks to layer this inky Shiraz with its trademark depth and gorgeous black-fruit complexity.

After their father, Neil, passed away in 1997, brothers Allister and Cameron Ashmead gradually took the reins at the 72-acre estate. Together with winemaker Richard Langford, they’ve helped establish Barossa among the greatest winemaking regions of the world, and in the process minted a series of Shirazes that are the last word in tremendous old-vine concentration.