Screw Cap closure - Decanted/filtered for two to three hours. Colour - is still pretty dark, with touches of redness around the glass, showing its age but still looks pretty smart. Nose - Deep blueberry, cinnamon, touch of spice, secondary fruit of vanilla pods due to the oak treatment. Palate - A little like the nose, in terms of the fruit on the nose initally with tannin at the front and mid palete - dried fruits, great acidity and balance with a lovely mouth feel - its not going anywhere - 5 years more if you have a few in the cellar - great wines and vintage.
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Great Cabernet Sauvignon . Now 20 year old wine. Cork was perfect. Light acid. Plum flavours on initial palate. Deep rich red colour. A perfect wine with my home cooked Steak Diane I made tonight. No old wine tastes. This wine is at its peak and will remain for another 10 years. I bought a dozen 8 years ago and this is my first bottle. Amazing wine and I will drink a bottle each year for the next 10 or so years.
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Cooked blueberries/blueberry jam, raspberry jame, menthol, fresh mint, eucalyptus, dust, dirt, coffee grounds and a little oxidation on the nose. Smells a little oaky; but actually more just woodsy. A LOT of organic earth. Medium + intensity of aromas. The palate is pretty similar, adding green bell pepper, caramelized onions, cumin and bitter herbs. A lot of mint and eucalyptus toward the end of the palate. A bit lifted on the finish, which lasts for 30 seconds.
Medium + body with medium acid and medium tannins. Drink now. It feels like this is starting to decline; but it'll be a nice, slow decline.
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This is firing on all cylinders. My fourth of five bottles and the best yet. Amazing to me how youthful this still feels at 19 years old. Not hard to tell that this comes from a hotter climate with the very ripe nose and palate but it is well balanced at the same time with a lengthy finish. Not sure how long before I open my last one, do I enjoy this now or see what’s next for this wine.
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This one was under cork. Colour was a robust healthy dark crimson. Nose was particularly sweet and fragrant. Dark friut compote, floral, spice, cedar, a little licorice, later mocha. Palate was juicy, mouth coating, ripe dark friuts, quite long and flavorsome. Later caramel. Tannins are soft and the finish beautifully balanced. The palate carries it's weight with real elegance. For me, this was delicious. Secondary nuances are only just starting, so I feel this wine could have a long way to go, especially under stelvin closure. Lovely drinking now though. 19 years old and still so fresh.
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Pronounced ruby colour as expected for its age. Red fruited on the nose, strawberry with a little raspberry, and cedar. This carries through on the palate along with a little spice. Medium length finish with tannins almost fully resolved. Drinking excellent now, no panic but no need to wait.
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Beautiful Barossa wine from a smart vintage - still looking very smart being 18 years old - the screw cap will do that. Drink now or cellar for another 5 to 8 years
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Mystery wine at a Hartwood Acres picnic organized by Bob Tirk. It was a big hit and a big bottle. Very impressive after fifteen years of cellaring. A dense, thick wine, it just burst with intense fruit flavors or black cherry and blackberries. Long, satisfying finish. Enjoyed by all!
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Super rich and extracted Cabernet with a nose of licorice. Long finish with dark blackberry, plum like fruit with hints of dark cherry, lavender and cassis. Think this is coming close to reaching its peak with no more aging upside.
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I drank the othet bottle of this since I figures it would be very similar (possibly worse) than the first. Similar; still with a heavy concentration of blackcurrent/Ribena syrup, faded tannin and mild acid. Didn't seem excessively raisin-like, but still lacks a bit of freshness. Medium/full-bodied, but a but hollow. Great cork. Still, a wine moving away from its peak in my view.
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{cork, 14.5%} Some lovely grapes were ruined here. And it seems a very fine cork went to waste, too. Aged, raisiny, prune-like on the nose. No real cabernet quality at all, just a dead-grape corpse. No life, no freshness. The palate has baked, over-ripe stewed blackberry flavours. Oak is nicely-judged, there's little acid, and tannins have faded to a powdery soft memory. The alcohol isn't especially overt to start, but the warmth does creep up on you. A victim of the Parker-points-chasing mentality, sadly. There's a feel of a potentially fine wine pushed to be what it was never meant to be, somehow. In fairness, the back label says age for 8+ years; I think 8 would have been ideal.
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Unequivocal proof that the Barossa can produce outstanding cabernet sauvignon.
This is top syrup. Full bodied and mouth filling but smooth and elegant. True cabernet flavour profile despite the origin of the fruit. Approaching maturity but will hold for at least another 5 years.
Elderton does it again.
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Second day tasting, only had a glass on day 1. Tasting better(of course) on day 2. Full bodied, intense and concentrated. It's really an explosion of fruit and flavor. A very good Barossa from a very good vintage. I think it still has a bit of life, but I'm glad we opened this when we did. Lots of black-flavored fruits and flavors in the nose which continues to the palate. Intense cassis, black tar, licorice, and it still has a tannic delivery, which tells me it still has some life before 2020 to impress. I think it's an impressive Aussie cab which deserves more accolades for the winemaker. Im enjoying the hell out of this wine!
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Very expressive, classic Barossa nose - sweet, slightly medicinal fruit. Big, plush, velvety mouthfeel. Not over the top, however - nicely balanced and relatively reserved for a Barossa cab. Still a bit of grip on the finish and little overt development - feels like it still has years left in it.
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Decanted and tasted over 2 hours. Contains sediment so decant carefully. This wine needs time to breathe. Patience will be rewarded. The oak has melded well and the fruitiness is balanced by the acidity. Typical power of the Barossa together with finesse; a good long finish.
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Decanted for sediment, followed over 5 hours noting improvement until the last drop.
Andrew's note nails flavor and structure. The acid and fruit are now much more balanced and the oak has mellowed significantly. There subtle secondary aromas and flavors emerging now that increased with aeration. Good tannins and acid support the fruit and carry the minute-long finish.
This wine has improved significantly since my last drink 6+ years ago. I think it's metamorphosis will be graceful in the next 5 years.
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Drinking very well right now. Nice balance of red fruits and plums. The acidity is just about held in check by the fruit. I suspect that at some point the fruit will fade and leave a thin wine. Right now though it works. Don't hold this wine for too long though.
Decanted 30 minutes for sediment. Excellent Cab, big, very Barossa, nice dry black plum and currant extract and drying, leafy tannins. Approximately at peak now but will stay at this level for a few years. Drink now-2017.
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P&P. New world, ripe fruits to the point of jammy and screaming oak upon opening. After a while, started to gain composure and was more balanced. Throwing lots of sediments. Overall quite an enjoyable bottle.
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strong nose of plum, oak, and big fruit. on palate, heavy body and it was very tight and restrained initially. it got better when it opened up in the 1 hr later, fruity and balanced tannin, and long finish, with a tab too sweet to my liking. good claret anyway for the price point.
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Aroma of plum with notes of tomato and oak. Heavy texture with flavours of black fruits and gripping acidity. Quickly transits into savory flavors, rounding off with notes of tar, eucalyptus and mint. Long powerful finish with mouth drying tannins. Not my favourite but still a good wine. Probably needs to sit a bit more b4 drinking.
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Lots of sediment. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. A rich cabernet with ample plum. Tannins not overly noted, therefore integrated well. No oak. Drinking nicely but may improve further?
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Popped and decanted 1 hour. Riedel bordeaux glasses. Dark rich fruit on nose. The initial mouth feel is one of powerful big dark, foreboding fruit. Complex tight tannins. It is extremely structured and balanced, even at this young age. I felt terrible drinking this now, because it is going to have so much to offer in a few years. Wow. My next bottle will b enjoyed e in 3 years, despite the fact that this wine paired well with short ribs and a dark chocolate desert. I am going to buy as much of this as I can find. Outstanding wine.
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4/10/2024 - Guady23 wrote: 95 Points
Screw Cap closure - Decanted/filtered for two to three hours.
Colour - is still pretty dark, with touches of redness around the glass, showing its age but still looks pretty smart.
Nose - Deep blueberry, cinnamon, touch of spice, secondary fruit of vanilla pods due to the oak treatment.
Palate - A little like the nose, in terms of the fruit on the nose initally with tannin at the front and mid palete - dried fruits, great acidity and balance with a lovely mouth feel - its not going anywhere - 5 years more if you have a few in the cellar - great wines and vintage.
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2/29/2024 - DrinkerTrev Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great Cabernet Sauvignon . Now 20 year old wine. Cork was perfect. Light acid. Plum flavours on initial palate. Deep rich red colour. A perfect wine with my home cooked Steak Diane I made tonight. No old wine tastes. This wine is at its peak and will remain for another 10 years. I bought a dozen 8 years ago and this is my first bottle. Amazing wine and I will drink a bottle each year for the next 10 or so years.
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2/18/2024 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cooked blueberries/blueberry jam, raspberry jame, menthol, fresh mint, eucalyptus, dust, dirt, coffee grounds and a little oxidation on the nose. Smells a little oaky; but actually more just woodsy. A LOT of organic earth. Medium + intensity of aromas. The palate is pretty similar, adding green bell pepper, caramelized onions, cumin and bitter herbs. A lot of mint and eucalyptus toward the end of the palate. A bit lifted on the finish, which lasts for 30 seconds.
Medium + body with medium acid and medium tannins. Drink now. It feels like this is starting to decline; but it'll be a nice, slow decline.
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10/7/2023 - cob Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is firing on all cylinders. My fourth of five bottles and the best yet. Amazing to me how youthful this still feels at 19 years old. Not hard to tell that this comes from a hotter climate with the very ripe nose and palate but it is well balanced at the same time with a lengthy finish. Not sure how long before I open my last one, do I enjoy this now or see what’s next for this wine.
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2/2/2023 - Vintage1961 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This one was under cork. Colour was a robust healthy dark crimson. Nose was particularly sweet and fragrant. Dark friut compote, floral, spice, cedar, a little licorice, later mocha.
Palate was juicy, mouth coating, ripe dark friuts, quite long and flavorsome. Later caramel. Tannins are soft and the finish beautifully balanced. The palate carries it's weight with real elegance. For me, this was delicious. Secondary nuances are only just starting, so I feel this wine could have a long way to go, especially under stelvin closure. Lovely drinking now though. 19 years old and still so fresh.
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9/4/2022 - cob Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pronounced ruby colour as expected for its age. Red fruited on the nose, strawberry with a little raspberry, and cedar. This carries through on the palate along with a little spice. Medium length finish with tannins almost fully resolved. Drinking excellent now, no panic but no need to wait.
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8/21/2022 - Guady23 wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful Barossa wine from a smart vintage - still looking very smart being 18 years old - the screw cap will do that. Drink now or cellar for another 5 to 8 years
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6/24/2019 - pdbender Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mystery wine at a Hartwood Acres picnic organized by Bob Tirk. It was a big hit and a big bottle. Very impressive after fifteen years of cellaring. A dense, thick wine, it just burst with intense fruit flavors or black cherry and blackberries. Long, satisfying finish. Enjoyed by all!
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5/9/2019 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super rich and extracted Cabernet with a nose of licorice. Long finish with dark blackberry, plum like fruit with hints of dark cherry, lavender and cassis. Think this is coming close to reaching its peak with no more aging upside.
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6/20/2018 - graemeg wrote:
I drank the othet bottle of this since I figures it would be very similar (possibly worse) than the first. Similar; still with a heavy concentration of blackcurrent/Ribena syrup, faded tannin and mild acid. Didn't seem excessively raisin-like, but still lacks a bit of freshness. Medium/full-bodied, but a but hollow. Great cork. Still, a wine moving away from its peak in my view.
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5/25/2018 - graemeg wrote:
{cork, 14.5%} Some lovely grapes were ruined here. And it seems a very fine cork went to waste, too. Aged, raisiny, prune-like on the nose. No real cabernet quality at all, just a dead-grape corpse. No life, no freshness. The palate has baked, over-ripe stewed blackberry flavours. Oak is nicely-judged, there's little acid, and tannins have faded to a powdery soft memory. The alcohol isn't especially overt to start, but the warmth does creep up on you. A victim of the Parker-points-chasing mentality, sadly. There's a feel of a potentially fine wine pushed to be what it was never meant to be, somehow. In fairness, the back label says age for 8+ years; I think 8 would have been ideal.
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9/8/2017 - BBPP Likes this wine:
Unequivocal proof that the Barossa can produce outstanding cabernet sauvignon.
This is top syrup. Full bodied and mouth filling but smooth and elegant. True cabernet flavour profile despite the origin of the fruit. Approaching maturity but will hold for at least another 5 years.
Elderton does it again.
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8/10/2017 - pdbender wrote: 91 Points
Second day tasting, only had a glass on day 1. Tasting better(of course) on day 2. Full bodied, intense and concentrated. It's really an explosion of fruit and flavor. A very good Barossa from a very good vintage. I think it still has a bit of life, but I'm glad we opened this when we did.
Lots of black-flavored fruits and flavors in the nose which continues to the palate. Intense cassis, black tar, licorice, and it still has a tannic delivery, which tells me it still has some life before 2020 to impress.
I think it's an impressive Aussie cab which deserves more accolades for the winemaker. Im enjoying the hell out of this wine!
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3/18/2017 - Nostromo99 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very expressive, classic Barossa nose - sweet, slightly medicinal fruit. Big, plush, velvety mouthfeel. Not over the top, however - nicely balanced and relatively reserved for a Barossa cab. Still a bit of grip on the finish and little overt development - feels like it still has years left in it.
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4/2/2016 - Laconic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and tasted over 2 hours. Contains sediment so decant carefully. This wine needs time to breathe. Patience will be rewarded. The oak has melded well and the fruitiness is balanced by the acidity. Typical power of the Barossa together with finesse; a good long finish.
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2/19/2016 - arthrovine wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for sediment, followed over 5 hours noting improvement until the last drop.
Andrew's note nails flavor and structure. The acid and fruit are now much more balanced and the oak has mellowed significantly. There subtle secondary aromas and flavors emerging now that increased with aeration. Good tannins and acid support the fruit and carry the minute-long finish.
This wine has improved significantly since my last drink 6+ years ago. I think it's metamorphosis will be graceful in the next 5 years.
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10/1/2015 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well right now. Nice balance of red fruits and plums. The acidity is just about held in check by the fruit. I suspect that at some point the fruit will fade and leave a thin wine. Right now though it works. Don't hold this wine for too long though.
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11/30/2014 - Giggs wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 30 minutes for sediment. Excellent Cab, big, very Barossa, nice dry black plum and currant extract and drying, leafy tannins. Approximately at peak now but will stay at this level for a few years. Drink now-2017.
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6/19/2013 - sfqwino wrote: 90 Points
P&P. New world, ripe fruits to the point of jammy and screaming oak upon opening. After a while, started to gain composure and was more balanced. Throwing lots of sediments. Overall quite an enjoyable bottle.
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4/28/2013 - Windrush Likes this wine: 93 Points
Huge, intense, just shy of fruit bomb but sophisticated
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3/16/2013 - Petek26 wrote: 92 Points
Great wine, oaky wood taste, dry, clean on the palate, not a fruit bomb like Napa cabs
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3/16/2013 - km5 wrote:
AWESOME bordeaux tasting wine. First started out oaky but grew to be the wine of the night for me.
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1/17/2013 - mchiew Likes this wine: 90 Points
decanted for 1 hr, and drank over 2 hrs.
strong nose of plum, oak, and big fruit. on palate, heavy body and it was very tight and restrained initially. it got better when it opened up in the 1 hr later, fruity and balanced tannin, and long finish, with a tab too sweet to my liking. good claret anyway for the price point.
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1/14/2013 - Coldstone wrote: 89 Points
Aroma of plum with notes of tomato and oak. Heavy texture with flavours of black fruits and gripping acidity. Quickly transits into savory flavors, rounding off with notes of tar, eucalyptus and mint. Long powerful finish with mouth drying tannins. Not my favourite but still a good wine. Probably needs to sit a bit more b4 drinking.
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8/4/2012 - team-blackburn wrote: 92 Points
Big bold and powerful, gripping tannins this really came together on day 3 hold for 3-5 years.
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5/6/2012 - tonsta wrote: 94 Points
Took a while to open up, but once it did it was wonderful. Quite savoury. Will last a long time.
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2/12/2012 - fatsdmx wrote:
Lots of sediment. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. A rich cabernet with ample plum. Tannins not overly noted, therefore integrated well. No oak. Drinking nicely but may improve further?
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12/24/2010 - dcsk wrote: 92 Points
Fruity with favor of plum, spice, powerful yet silky, nice and long finish
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1/13/2009 - arthrovine wrote: 94 Points
Popped and decanted 1 hour. Riedel bordeaux glasses. Dark rich fruit on nose. The initial mouth feel is one of powerful big dark, foreboding fruit. Complex tight tannins. It is extremely structured and balanced, even at this young age. I felt terrible drinking this now, because it is going to have so much to offer in a few years. Wow. My next bottle will b enjoyed e in 3 years, despite the fact that this wine paired well with short ribs and a dark chocolate desert. I am going to buy as much of this as I can find. Outstanding wine.
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9/5/2007 - wombat wrote:
2-3 years in Fr oak. Age 8 years+. Elderton does good cabs though this is expensive at $85.
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