Elderton Command Shiraz 2021

My first thought on tasting this wine was simply, wow, this might just be the very best Command Shiraz I can recall, since the first release from 1984 (and remember, their 1996 won Best Shiraz in the World at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition). If one were to arrange a collection of the elite Barossa Shiraz, the prestige releases, this would sit with the finest and I suspect might well be the best value among them, bar none. A single vineyard site, the vines are now an extraordinary 127 years of age. The wine spends two years in a mix of new French and American oak puncheons. An opaque purple hue, the nose is ripe, rich and concentrated. Stunning aromas, we have mocha, coffee beans, cassis, florals, blackberries, and just dripping with molten dark chocolate. Plush, absolutely saturated, and so finely balanced, this is seamless with great length and such silky tannins. The oak is certainly evident, but it is impeccably handled. This is essence of Barossa Shiraz and will give pleasure for twenty years. What a brilliant wine.