Opened this bottle after ~20 years sitting in under the stair case to bid farewell to 2022, and couldn't be happier.
The bottom half of the cork was disintegrated so the wine needed to be filtered, other than that the wine was flawless.
Straight out of the bottle, fresh and fruity aroma with hints of vanilla, and black tea, it was a bit gripy with a bit of soft tannin around the palate, but after an hour or so in the decanter, it turned into a silky smooth almost creamy liquid, absolutely gorgeous. It was indeed a very special wine for a special occasion.
It's good to drink now. But would last for another 5-10 years through careful collaring.
Happy New Year!!!
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It i upsetting to think this is this last bottle. So gorgeous. Maybe at its peak... but it did continue to get better, Soft blueberry and boysenberry. Delicate tannins. Rose petal and and a hint of eucalyptus on the nose.
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With aging, the fragrance and spiciness more muted, but the wonderful chocolate and blueberry, along with the persistent taste from the coating of the tongue and throat, reminded me why I fell in love with drinking wine.
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I remembered it being very powerful back in in early 2000's but 18 years on it was almost chocolatey and a little sweet. Mid palate was excellent and lots of flavour but finish not there any more.
Still, a very pleasant drink but i had hoped for more. Probably best drunk in first10 years
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Chú Xī (除夕) Dinner at Home for Chinese New Year (Our House, Hong Kong): 4-hour decant (which turned out to be about right). Deep impenetrable black-ruby. Intense nose of fresh-ground coffee beans, torched blueberries, anthracite, vanilla, burnt rubber from a robbery getaway. Palate is deep, rich belly-filling concentrated black plum and cherry compote fruit, espresso coffee, star anise, liquorice stick. Gets blacker in flavour with extended time in the glass. Heady, reverberant and long. A big but balanced and well- proportioned wine. Really rounded out and got spicier and more complete with more time in the glass. This has years ahead of it to improve further but is drinking beautifully now with a long decant. Must try one of my case of the slow-maturing 1998: now would seem about the right time.
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It is interesting that I actually don’t mind these big Aussie wine anymore. Smokey and big. Bright acidity and soft mouth feel. It retains enough interest and drank really easy. Finished the bottle in no time at all!
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Nose of smoke and warm spice, mint. Taste is stewed prunes and dates, ripe blackberry and fresh res fruit with a very slight sorghum earthiness. Medium finish with medium tannins. Excellently balanced with a smooth mouthfeel.
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A nicely integrated bottle of blueberries and unsweetened chocolate and a bit of animal. Dries a bit on finish with cracked pepper and a bit of chalk. Tannins are still there, fruit still there but heck, drink ‘em if you got ‘em. High alcohol doesn’t translate to heat and VA is well in check. 17 3/4 years have been kind to this which certainly could have gone wrong like so many overblown Shiraz’ if this era.
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Bright and pure ruby in the glass, pretty blackberry and cherry notes with an edge of savory spices. In the mouth, loads of sweet fruit that’s balanced by fresh acidity. Tannins are nicely settled at this point, but the finish is still firmly persistent and satisfying. Probably at peak, and stable and delicious here for at least another five years.
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The nose reveals; candied style blackberries, plum, boysenberries, stewed black plum, dark liqueur style cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, black licorice, sweet tarriness, crushed dry limestone, cinnamon stick, vanilla, dark chocolate, mocha with caramel, pepper, used leather, light notes of grilled meats, bright, dark red, purple flowers with violets.
The body is the leaner side of full. The tannins are nicely resolved but, still have tarry baby teeth. The structure, tension, balance and length have hit a sweet spot and still have at least 6-8 years of good drinking ahead. The palate fruits are ruby candied. Blackberries, olallieberries, plum, boysenberries, stewed black plum, dark liqueur style cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, black licorice, sweet tarriness, crushed dry limestone, dry top soils, wet clay, cinnamon stick, vanilla, dark chocolate, mocha with heavier caramel than the nose, dark spice with just a little palate heat, pepper, touch of mint with fresh herbs, used leather, notes of smokey, grilled meats, bright, dark red, purple flowers with violets. The acidity is near perfect. The long finish is; elegant, ruby, rich, well balanced and deliciously persistent. Just missed 94.
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Remains huge. This repeatedly punched a 2012 Cayuse Wallah Wallah mag in the face. What a brute. Minimal to no secondary development. Very Good for what it is.
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This was missing most signs of fruit life, though showed some pedigree. The spice was well-integrated. Overall though, just not showing as well as one would expect. I still fondly remember how utterly stellar the ‘98 was, though its heyday is long past.
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A well balanced & integrated Shiraz from Elderton. Deep garnet red, full body, amazing nose & strong richness of raspberry, black cherry & vanilla notes, well-integrated soft tannin & alcohol after many years of aging in cellar. Bravo!
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Very interesting. The first taste on opening showed me some savoury notes which I didn't expect. It was thin. I thought it was past its prime. But after letting it sit for a while and with the food. It begin to change. It is a true blue well-aged Shiraz. Very well made wine. I can see the clear structure in the wine. Started with that slight salty notes with a clear red fruit palate, ending with a nice typical Shiraz ending. Medium finish. Good wine with a not so good finishing. Enjoyed it. Dinner at Colin house with family.
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Almost flawed. There's decline here, and the overwhelming flavor is must, rust? Some combination of the two with a slight chemical, saline quality. That said, it's drinkable on day 2 but a disappointment with this pedigree.
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Shap's 1st annual Xmas party: Tasted blind; pnp; Very disappointed I couldn't even get the right country on this one as I had this wine ~3 yrs ago. Nose was tight, ripe dark fruit, and hard to identify. This probably really could have used a good decant as it started to open more later in the evening.
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Part of vertical tasting of four early 2000's vintages
Under cork seal
Dense, smoke, blue berries aromas, with added earthiness
Smooth tannins, acidity still holding well, long and satisfying mouth feel Over an hour went from being least approachable of four to most.
General comment on all four vintages ('01, '02, '04, '05). Family resemblance pronounced. Aromatics develop at slightly different rates, '01 overall being most intense. On palate, '05 has most fruit and acidity, distinctly less developed than others. '04 shows most savoury elements. '02 showed most development of flavours in glass. All demonstrate potential to be enjoyable for several more years
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Soft ripe Barossa shiraz, this should be a wine I don't particularly like but the flavour here is fantastic and it retains freshness, dare I say elegance?
It's top class wine.
{14.5%, screw cap}
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Aterciopelado. Redondo. La dulzura de la ciruela se entremezcla con notas balsamicas, oliva negra, y sal. Delicioso. Incluso sin decantar, se recibe sin aristas. Delicioso
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Not less than 90 but not more. Previously I rated this much higher though this time, in spite of a decent breather, I found it outright acidic which was unexpected. Beneath that there's chocolate and damson apple but it's not hitting the spot for me.
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Stupendous Barossa Shiraz. Well stored can still go many more years. Yet drinking very well now. Concentrated, inky, vanilla, blackberry, cherry and hints of rose petal.
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In great condition right now: dark red in the glass. Nose is big, with blackberries, plums, leather, dusty earth and smokey oak chips. The palate is velvety smooth and mouth coating, with fine tannins and a long, long finish of a mix of savoury and sweet spice.
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There is a slightly annoying alcohol burn on the finish, but otherwise this has matured into seriously fine and exotic red wine. Oaky fruit sweetness but dry. Mesmerising.
Drink over the next decade.
14.5% ABV, sealed with screwcap - if anyone thinks wine under screwcap won't age, well, this wine proves you wrong.
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In great condition right now: dark red in the glass. Nose is big, with blackberries, plums, leather, dusty earth and savoury spice. The palate is velvety smooth and mouth coating, with fine tannins and a long, long finish. This is excellent. Been keeping these '02s since release (including a move overseas and back). Glad are they are rewarding the cellaring.
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Needed minimal decant (30 minutes). Consumed over two days and was slightly better on the second day. Stored since purchase in a passive cellar with temps ranging from 50-65 degrees.
Slightly oaky for my tastes but drinking wonderfully. Fruit is still plentiful and youthful. No sign of drying out.
Minimal sediment and bricking. Medium-long finish. Dark, dark garnet color.
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I love 10+ year Command so it was with great expectations that I opened this at age 14.
The first sip suggested this was in good form and after a 45 minute decant it really hit its stride.
The weight is excellent as are the extracted black currants. However the finish is more soprano than tenor.
That said I repeatedly liken this wine to Grange, more than any other. Whilst this isnt the best vintage of Command (I love the 2004) good luck, blind, discerning this from a more modest vintage of Grange.
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Deep opaque purple colour. Nose reinforces its big and bold stature. Very barossan. A lot smoother than I was expecting, carries the 14.5% better than most. Tertiary notes starting to come through stronger, may start to polarise some from here. Has peaked. Drink up.
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Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is a bit smoother and approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, blueberry, candied cherry, and black raspberry fruits with tones of camphor, black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a long finish.
Popped and poured. Drank over 2 hours. Immediate aromas of tobacco, black fruit and leather. Somewhat port like. Last bottle from my cellar and that's OK. Drink up
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Intense ruby red, almost black. Full of body, soft tannins. Long and persistent end. Aromas of black fruits cooked, Plum, chocolate, tobacco, leather and spices. Ready to be enjoyed. After one hour, much better and new tastes, aromas and pleasures. Geat wine, as alwais.
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Drank this wine with Arnold's Fried Chicken and friends from my theatre days.
Powerful aromatic nose of ripe plums, leather, dark chocolate and old wood made this a charming wine deserved the attention it received. The spice has mellowed over the years and the wine ends with a long, smooth finish.
Very well into its drinking window and not sure if it'll improve further over time.
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Seem slightly one-dimensional with only ripe juicy berries coming through even after giving in time (~2 hours) in the glass. Great smooth velvety texture though. Would have liked abit more spice, tannins and a longer finish. In 2 minds whether this will improve with additional age, as the bold fruit and alcohol seem to indicate it can, but a lack of balance and complexity seems to indicate otherwise.
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Really drinking well now. Decanted for an hour. Extremely dense and smooth. Mocha, vanilla, blackberries and a little earthiness. A stupendous full bodied Barossa Shiraz.
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This one was big and bold - just what you expect Barossa shiraz to be. Plumy fruits, vanillan oak, with some secondary spice flavours coming through. Smooth, integrated tannins. Great bottle.
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Still in excellent drinking condition IMHO. Dark red colour, savoury and chocolate flavours on the nose and palate, mixed with some dark fruits. Everything well integrated and tasting very smooth. If there is a fault, perhaps it drops off a bit suddenly, but that may just be the bottle I'm drinking.
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Just fell short. Decanted one hour. Milk chocolate and blackberry bush in the glass with a hint of cream. Not as powerful as I hoped for on the palate. Sweet tannin and blackberry with a medium/long finish. Seemed a bit past best. Improved with food. Braised lamb shanks with cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Drink now.
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Last had this wine in 2009 and found one on closeout at $50 on the retail shelf of my local wine merchant. Opened and carefully poured into a decanter, no sediment to speak of. Brickish red as one would expect. I think storing at 70 degrees added 3-5 years to this bottle but in a good way. This is a wonderful wine that kept getting better as the night went on. As I am sipping from the last glass writing this the taste is still on my palate from the start of the tasting note, impressive finish. The only nitpick is the nose wasn't as expressive to push it up a few points. My definition is how many inches above the rim you can really get a good sniff and this was only at 1" but deep red fruit and cloves emerge when you stick your snout in the glass. Great wine.
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Purchased at sale recently. $45 a bottle. Clearly a bargain. Classic Barossa shiraz. Full, rich, depth, black fruit and alcohol. Ready but will keep for a few years.
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Dark brooding red. Tasted (half) blind but plenty of chocolate notes on the nose immediately reminds me this must be a Command, along with blackberry, spice and vanilla toasty oak. On palate it exhibits milk chocolate, plum, blackberry, fruits cake, licorice and well integrated oak. Long persistent finish with fine grain tannins. Very good and holding very well after 13 years. No doubt that Command is a Command and it is my favourite for this 2002 horizontal tasting.
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Australia 2002 horizontal tasting on cooling-off day (Extra Space, Boon Keng): Dark brooding red. Tasted (half) blind but plenty of chocolate notes on the nose immediately reminds me this must be a Command, along with blackberry, spice and vanilla toasty oak. On palate it exhibits milk chocolate, plum, blackberry, fruits cake, licorice and well integrated oak. Long persistent finish with fine grain tannins. Very good and holding very well after 13 years. No doubt that Command is a Command and it is my favourite for this 2002 horizontal tasting.
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Clear deep dark purple. Clean nose of black fruits, floral, and some vanilla. Dry, med body, med acidity, soft tannins, Black cherry, dark chocolate, and tobacco on palate. med+ finish. This wine is very nice. I am not normally a big Aussie Shiraz fan, but this is unlike anything I have had before. Very nice wine!
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My last tasting of this was back in 2006 when I wrote "this wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit". Well nine years later, it is smoother and more polished and is certainly approachable with its delicious melange of black and blue fruits. Reiterating my initial tasting note when I wrote this was "huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is smooth and approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, candied cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry fruits with tones of black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish.
I acquired this bottle within the last year and I wasn't sure about the provenance. It ended up being in perfect condition and it still had a lot of life to go. Dry, Full bodied, Med+ Alcohol, soft Med- Tannins and Med- Acidity. Notes of bitter chocolate, umami character like soy, balsamic, dried plums and black cherries and tobacco. These aromas carried through to the palate, which was full, soft and round, making it quite chewy in fact. The alcohol was very well integrated, even though there's not a whole lot of acidity to balance it out. The wine carries through the mid-palate, but the finish drops off a bit suddenly. Very well done. Enjoyed with beef stew and then finished the bottle through the evening. Drinking well right now but can easily go another 5-7years.
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Popped and poured, 2/3 bottle followed over 5 hours. Purple/slight brownish. Trace meniscus. Lots of sediment - this bottle had been stood up for about 5 days. Gained complexity over the duration. I was worried about decanting it - probably foolishly.
Nose was bitter dark fruited chocolate with mint, eucalyptus, and minute aromas of toasty wood. Savory flavors dominate the palate: mint, sage, dark berry, bitter chocolate, toasty wood, hint of charcoal. No prune or cooked fruit in this bottle. Nice acids. Gritty tannin. Long finish.
This is probably just entering its peak drinking window at 12 years. Should last awhile, I think. 92+
Delicious with a sous vide steak. Disclaimer: I like aged Aussie shiraz.
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Last time I tasted this, only ten months ago, I said it had plenty of life left in it, but now I'm not so sure. Looks fine, and it's still rich, with a great finish, but I picked up a pruny note that was a little off-putting. It was a very big hit with everyone else at a Christmas party, so this opinion should be taken with several grains of salt, but I say it's time to drink up.
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Same as my other TNs. Great wine. Still has many years to go. Big brooding monster that also is developing more complexity. Pity that this was my last 2002.
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Just another example of why you need to wait 10-15 years before you crack these top quality Aussie Syrahs. Great flavor, minerality, and still drinking "young".
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Typical Barossa shiraz nose. It's the complexity on the palate that wins the rating. Classic shiraz but with something vegetal in there. Rhubarb? Some acidity, low tannins at this point. This wine is drinking well. Not sure about 2020 as the limit.
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Simple, oaky, mildly alcoholic, but also full-on delicious, as it was made to be. GraemeG's note says it all, and I fully agree that this is ready to go, now; not likely to improve, though it will clearly hold for the next 2-4 years with little effort. Quite full-bodied, but with fair enough supporting acids. Tannins are ripe and round, and the EtOH is mostly integrated at this stage. In a room full of interesting wines, this would not be one that would require a second taste. Handsome crowd pleaser, though an over-priced one in my opinion. Drink now.
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NobleRottersSydney - Shiraz 10 years+ (Verde, East Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} (Gordon) Doouble-decanted two hours prior. This is very much in the style of Barossa flagships of the era, which is to say that US-oak vanilla and coconut dominate proceedings here. There is plummy blackberry and blueberry fruit too, but there’s no getting away from that oak. This is quite developed, with loose powdery tannins and fairly soft acid; it is full-bodied, and has lots of impact on the mid-palate. Medium length finish, dry; impressive and weighty but seems just a bit one-dimensional after the Schulz. At peak I’d say; drink within 3 years because I don’t see more complexity coming here.
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This is one of my favorite Aussis. They are one of the few that was good and has continued at a high level. I have been picking them out at auction and am happy to spend the $80 to $90 to have them. This is complex - a lot of smokiness, tobacco and a dose of chocolate. Deep fruit cherry and blueberry (black and red). I will be continuing to try and find well priced Commands.
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Big nose of dark fruit, mocha, licorice, hint of sweet spice & eucalyptus. The mouth feel is so good, tons of perfect maturity dark fruits and silky tannins with a full spectrum of spices and a backbone of minerals. I like the texture and finesse of this wine. The length can go ~20 secs with dark fruit and peppery finish which perfectly match with the steak last night.
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This is a monumental wine. Great nose - mostly black fruit. Assorted black fruits, plums, licorice, and a little coffee on the palate. Tongue-coating viscosity and mouth-filling fruit that sticks around long after swallowing. No signs of age. In fact, the tannins and acidity suggest that it may still improve with more time in the bottle. Since I'm 68, it may well outlive me.
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This is becoming one of my favorite Aussi Barossas. Firstly, unlike a lot of the early 2000 shiraz this is not fading. This is in the middle of its drinking window and will still go longer. Secondly it is the right amount of fruit forward, but with a big backbone of tannin, which is well covered by the fruit. Thirdly this is a big, big wine. Not for food; it will overpower, but for drinking on its own.
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This wine is entering its prime drinking window. Strong in the glass for 1-2 hours. Classic Shiraz character. Deep purple. Floral and chocolate nose. Strong fruit with a nice finish. Drink now to over the next three years.
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Hmmm, was OURS DE VIN at my house Saturday night? Because that tasting note summarizes my thoughts perfectly on this wine. As usual, very good. Velvety mouthfeel.
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92 Points. Allowed three-hour decant. Served with burgers and sausages from the grill. On the nose there was a lot of black fruit and cedar with an earthiness undertone. The wine on the palette was big but balanced with a heavy tone. A lot of blackberry, mineral (like flint), minty tones on the front end with a medium to long finish. Very solid showing, optimistic it will stay here awhile but not optimistic it will continue to improve.
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Magnum stored in temperature control since release
Nose: floral, anise, so smooth and clean, huge bouquet can be smelled from feet away, becomes more blueberry driven with air
Taste: huge, still quite tannic at one hour, drank over about three hours, tongue coating, huge finish, inky and blueberry driven,
This was an exceptional wine, I'm surprised to be so much higher on this than other tasting notes here, I thought it was comparable in quality to Cayuse or other top Shiraz I've had.
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--- COLOR: Deep, dark garnet w/medium garnet rim NOTE: Always well-made and impressive with 10 years ag, maybe 3-5 more years to go but not likely to improve. This is a typical cherry-driven syrah which isn't my preference. Nose was initially overwhelming oak, but subsides after 4 hrs, giving way to kirsh and dark cocoa, tar, tomatoe, menthol. Mouth is rich, no heat, fine tannins with ripe cherry fruit and serious mouth-watering acidity. Finish is 30+ seconds of black cherry liqueur.
DECANT: 1-4 hours GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 9.2 OTHER: COST: 57 VALUE: 6.0 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: TRY AGAIN: now - 2015 PAIRING: Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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Absolutely lovely, and vibrant. I will hold the other two bottles at least for two years. I might hold the last one for up to five depending on the results in two years!
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Crimson-black; blackberries, black cherries, black pepper, smoked meat; concentrated berry/cherry, vanilla, creamy, full body, excellent structure, firm ripe tannins, lingering finish. Decanted 1 hr, some sediment. Lush black fruit with spicey/gamey notes typical of Barossa shiraz. Seemed more youthful than its' 10 years, lots of life ahead.
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Purple black in colour - impenetrable and palate staining. Heady aromas of an array of dark fruits. Very complex flavours of blackberry, plums, some dark cherry, chocolate, meats, tobacco and spice. Full, full bodied, but all seemed in balance. Mocha oak now well and truly integrated. Velvety tannins and long length. Right in its drinking window, I reckon. Almost the perfect Barossa shiraz.
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Opened and was a pop and pour. Did not seem to be fading in the least since the last time I had this. Still a very big wine with loads of dark fruits bursting from the glass. This was supported by background notes of sweet tobacco and leather. Although still a seemingly young wine with a decent chunck of tannins, it was quite balanced, at least to my tastes. The tannins were buttressed but excellent acidity and a very large mouthfeel. I would guess this is close to peak but should hold on for quite a while more with no obvious signs of fading in the near future. The wine continued to open up throughout the night. Threw only a small amount of sediment
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A bottle ten months ago was disappointing. This one sure wasn't! Intense, assertive nose. Big time berries and chocolate. Massive, but with a lot of finesse. Great finish. A five tool player, for sure.
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The bomb of fruit, perfumy, chocolate and berry nose. Just a big old fruit bowl, with earthy, smokey after notes. It still retains elegance and balance, despite its size. If you like 'em big, modern and clean (no Brett, yea), this is da bomb.
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Lots of VA which never really dissipated or blew off- very off putting. Porty, extremely ripe and flabby, lacking any kind of definition or structure. This bottle appears flawed based on other's reviews of this wine.
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Screwcap bottle brought back from Australia in 12/2008. Decanted 3.5 hours. Dark, opaque garnet. Compelling nose of black licorice, potting soil, molasses/caramel, blackberries, black plum, smoky vanilla, toasted marshmallow, with oak nuances well integrated into the nose. Beautifully balanced and full-bodied palate, with sweet-edged blackberry and black plum, an herbal streak and black olive in the background, silky texture, excellent midpalate transition into a long, juicy-sweet finish of ripe dark fruit. Youthful, but exactly where it needs to be now; will easily go 5 more years.
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4th bottle over 3 years. Dark purple, not black, not extracted looking. That roasted plums/prunes you get with ripe Barossa's. I like it personally. After drinking a Pax from Cali, the two different styles and Terriors are so enjoyably different. Big delicious, yummy, balanced, a wow wine. Much better than last few. Getting similar flavors, This one does have that acified effets from 18 months back. Still pretty backward finish, so some time to go. Lets see what overnight does to her, hopefully my previous negative comments are beginning to get resolved into the wine.
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Have had several of these over the past 2 years. This bottle had the most reticent nose, thin/hollow midpalate and mouthfeel, and abrupt, somewhat sharp finish. While the basic components of the fruit were there, they were hidden (or past?). No discernible TCA. No change with splash decanting or over 4 hours. The next day, however, the wine showed more typical fruit, dust, must, and tobacco. Still not the velvety complex beauty it typically is. I guess its bottle variation. Day #2's rating is probably a 90.
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Dense and unctuous with a velvety mouthfeel. Cassis, pipe tobacco, leather, pain grille and cedar flavors have all woven together seamlessly into an excellent bottle of wine. All the hard edges are gone leaving a smooth, well balanced, palate coating, hedonistic drinking experience. Elderton Command never disappoints me. This needed a coule of hours on the decanter and is certainly not for those looking for a delicate wine.
Better on day two. Brighter fruit and cleaner flavors. For those that like a big, bold and thick Aussie shiraz, you can't go wrong with Elderton Command. Their regular bottling, Elderton Shiraz, is also quite excellent at less than half the price of Command.
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Decanted for a couple of hours and gave it a 20 minute session in the refrigerator to cool it off. Nice nose, chocolaty, dark fruits. Extremely velvety and weightless in the mouse, luxurious. There was this underlying salt-licorice flavor to the wine that I didn't particularly like - but, at the right temperature, not too warm or cool, with food, there was enough else going on to prevent that salt-licorice flavor from dominating. Didn't come together enough for me to really enjoy it - comfortable, luxurious, but not enough unique character to keep things interesting.
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Normally, like the reviews below, this wine kills. This bottle had a flawed cork and really had a musty smell and I feared a bad bottle, but after a decant, it really shook the mustiness off but had very different characteristics than what I am accustom to in an Elderton. This bottle was very subtle on the fruit (normally an explosion of dark fruit and chocolate notes) and had undertones of tobacco. Loved it, but would have never picked this one out of a line up.
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This wine is just incredible. If I could create the perfect Syrah/Shiraz, it would be The Command. It delivers everything I want in a wine and then some. Amazing nose, beautiful dark fruit and silky tannins. Can't see this wine getting any better, but it has a lot of life left. Drink now till 2015.
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Christmas on the nose. Soft flavors on the palate, with a wealth of chocolate and other pleasant secondary characteristics. Highly recommend. Will certainly be on the lookout for this in the future.
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Aussie Gems (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): Splash decanted and put back in the bottle about 2 1/2 hrs prior to service. This is not something that would normally be in my wheelhouse, but I really enjoyed it. On the nose, this was showing pronounced eucalyptus notes, dark fruits, baking spice, and a touch of mocha. I really enjoyed the nose and even though it is more forward than my usual preference, I found it to be balanced and really striking just the right chords. On the palate, it is smooth and velvety, a chocolate milkshake-like texture as Matt Orsino noted, this is definitely fruit-forward with blueberry, blackberry, black cherry but also mocha, eucalyptus and earth notes. At the same time, this has just the right amount of acid to keep the fruit from becoming flabby and it retains a tannic structure that gives the wine shape. This was my surprise of the night and a wine that I will keep an eye out for in the future.
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Australian Gem Tasting (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): This has an intoxicating nose. Rich chocolate tones mingle with brambles, dark cherry, warm spices, and cassis. The fruit is rich...almost fat, but remains balanced. The acidity isn't too pronounced, but this has remarkable balance for such a forward style of wine. Clearly we have some fantastic winemaking at play here. One of the better wines of the night.
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Easily one of my favorite wines. Deep and dark and concentrated. Texture on the palate is very rich and creamy. This tannins have a little but of a rough edged rusticity. The balance of grippy tannins against high-toned caramel notes that make this wine just a delight. Lots of fruit and some cedar spice round out this wine that is nice on its own and better with mediterranean flavors in the food. Fantastic wine.
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This remains the standard by which I judge all other Aussie Shiraz. I have bottles from vintages 2000 to 2005. This wine is able to maintain solid dark fruit, and it has an amazing structure and finish. The 2005 is my absolute favorite, but the 2002 is very close behind.
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Great fruit and well balanced. Cedar blackberry and pepper remained for hours after opening. From start to finish, and a long finish at that, very enjoyable.
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Dark red/purple. Some dark green notes, green olive?, alch., mint, roasted meat, black sausage. Nice mouthfeel, big dark fruit finish. Oak still a bit chemicalized for me. Tannins are there, stripping after a wave of fruit. This is a complex wine with some further development underneath, Great licorice extended finish. That acid"fied" taste noted previously is there but seems this bottle is a little more resolved. This might be that green note I am getting. This now further resolves coming together making this a great wine, or it begins a decent of falling apart. 90++?
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Deep purple, pretty vivid nose of Barossa Shiraz, lots of black fruit, some olive and cocoa. Not jammy on the palate, but very high on the fruit strength, it tastes very good but gets a bit tiring. Also seems to be a bit light on structure. Having said that, it does have some decent nuances on the finish and is all in all pretty enjoyable. Not a bad effort, fruit has years to go, not sure if there is enough backbone to keep up with it.
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Had twice in the last month, both with consistent notes - This is what Aussie wine is all about and done to perfection. Big, sweet and in your face with no heat to speak of and an amazing mouthfeel. With huge underlying complexities mixing beautifully with the excuisite, pure fruit, this wine is at its absolute peak. This is everything Australian wines are praised for with none of drawbacks (heat, too over the top/sweet/alcoholic) Drink up and enjoy!
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Drink up, my last one, and its smoking. Dark dark in color, nose is just a faint stew of herbs and bacon. Mouth feel, sublime, can't stop sipping. The flavors are all intertwined
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A little better than first two bottles with a 1 hr decant. Still not my favotite style of Shiraz, very subdued with no sign of pepper or spice. Mediun body and no memorable finish.
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This was easily our WOTN. The nose was a combination of classic Shiraz, vanilla, caramel, which transferred over when tasting the wine as well. This had a very long finish, with hints of dark berries and pepper to add to the marvelous mix of flavors. No question but this wine has years ahead of itself to mature.
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Not much better than first bottle although cork had no streaking this time. The wine is just average with a big overblown nose and hint of alcohol. It drank ok but was nothing to get excited about.
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A classic shiraz, this one is one of my favorites. Inky dark, intense nose with dark fruit and spice. Wine really opened up after an hour with great mocha, fruit, and spice followed by a long finish with a hint of vanilla. Aging very nice!
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This was a bit disappointing compared to reviews i've seen. this bottle may have been off from heat damage as the cork was streaked almost to the top. I'll try another bottle soon
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Awesome Aussie Shiraz, extreme concentration, and almost port-like, but enough acidity to make it a classic - Black, full bodied with a nose of extreme plum, cherry, chocolate, pepper, blueberry and vanilla, excellent structure and balance, silky smooth on the palate with amazing length. a winner (92 Points).
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Nicely zippy but also savory and well integrated. Nose is a bit closed, blueberries, raspberries and oak. Quite a bit of acidity, blueberries, tar, bit of baked prunes (in a good way), hints of vanilla and oak. Very good. Seems quite young, but maybe the pruning hints will take over with time. I guess I would try to consume withing 3-5 years.
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Thick and dark, with strong dark fruit and chocolate flavors that are smooth and linger for awhile on a frame of acidity that keeps the finish persistant. May not be quite as good as other years, but is still quite good.
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If you like big Australian Shiraz this is the wine for you. Huge fruit and pepper but with a very strong chocolate presence. I think the 2003 vintage is considerably better at about the same prince point.
Remember, you don't drink the label.
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A wine that took some time to open up, even after decanting, but was well-balanced with subtle spice on the finish. Served with porterhouse in a green peppercorn sauce, rosemary-garlic potatoes, and a salad with a truffle-dijon dressing.
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There was some serious concentration happening here to be sure. But for my taste, way too much oak. The nose was all vanilla and dill, and the pallate boasted boysenberry vanilla ice cream. Rich texture... not quite over the top, and strangely not actually sweet seeming. 20% less of oak would have gotten me into the mid nineties.
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Does not disappoint. Similar notes as December 08. Taking a point off as finish is a bit oaky & a acid/tannic thing that needs to settle or this will go - 90. Guess this is what Andrew_wine wrote about it being, "acidified??' Looks like was a stupid idea at this point. Problem resolved with a nibble on a brownie, but still worrisome.
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A fabulous wine. Even when I poured this into the decanter I got a whiff of what was awaiting us with dinner. This is a dense powerful wine without being over the top. The nose provided a basket of fresh dark fruits with some cinnamon hints. On the palate this coated the mouth with boysenberries and the finish would last for a minute.
This is a wine I sipped very slowly, even though it was tempting to just keep chugging away. After each sip you could detect the essence of the wine for a long time. My first Command I have a 2004 in the cellar and will wait a few years on that one.
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Dark purple. Can smell the dense fruit wafting off the bottle, decanter & glass of ripe blueberries, dark black berries (some oak & vanilla as well, a bit worrisome).
Nice glycerin rich mouth feel. Rich, sexy, great front palate bounce, decent mid of oak, fruit and vanilla, finishes with a bit of dry tannins, a lingering palate. Some bitter chocolate as well. A bit drying and oaky for me compared to other vintages at this point. Paring with steak and trimmings later.
Few hours later with steak dinner wine finally develops to expected pedigree. Chocolate cake effect emerges on the palate, finish deepens. After the da*n dog ate one of the steaks while we were distracted . . . meal goes on. Add dark chocolate, cigar and the Command stands up, a heavy weight. Enter the Yering Station Shiraz/Vognier. Ouch, a one round knockout punch, get outta here little boy.
Not sure this will develop into the expected class this wine is born in to (finish is just too short, mid palate focused. CMCARNES may be onto something?), but an excellent baby at this point. Hold for best performance, or drink one a year to track till 2020. The 2000 vintage is still to me is the best.
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This wine has no anima! My second thought, ' this wine is completely out of balance'. It seems like it has been manipulated, rather severely, to bring it around, but to no avail. I do believe that there are some good parts in this wine, but they are going in every direction. I really think that the oak is a lot too much. There is some good ripe fruit, mixed in with too much clove. Interestingly, the wine is not huge or 'brooding' as someone else wrote, it just has no lift or gravity; nothing to give it weight. Thus the 'no anima' beginning.
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Elderton's Command is just the quintessential Ausie Shiraz. Loads of fruit, great spice, and a longer lingering finish. The 2002 vintage is not as big as the 2003 but offer a bit more complexity. I say it has about 80-85% of the fruit profile of 2003, the black pepper is more subdue. It makes up for those is lots of mocha in the mouth and a hint of grapefruit on the finish. Which I think is extremely unusual and equally enjoyable in a Shiraz.
Buy it if you can find it under $60!
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What a lovely wine! Nice nose of dark fruit and vanilla. Very balanced palate with ripe fruit, minerals, pepper, integrated tannins, refreshing acidity, and toasty oak. Beautifully made and drinking well NOW.
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awesome, the oak has been integrated, the forward, mid and finish are spectacular, very well integrated. The tar, blueberry and smoke are incredible. Have more, thank goodness...
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Tremendous....had a martini B4 dinner @ Cafe L'europe @ Palm Beach...brought this with us from the cellar as there was no corkage fee...popped & poured...wife and I could not remember a shiraz so full, yet so smooth and clean: tremoundous finish... got so wasted that she had to drive home...could not even finish the bottle!!!
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While this was still drinkable, this was not a good bottle of this wine. Came from the same lot I enjoyed before and rated 95/96, so I am not sure what happended here. Let decant 3 hours and it never opened up, and had a mildewy/oxidized aftertaste. What a shame, because this was part of a blind tasting with many many friends, and I wanted to show them all up.
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11/01/2007: Deep dark purple color, explosive nose: floral and eucalyptus showing under waves of black and blue berries, spice and vanilla. Big blueberry and black/bosenberry flavors nicely balanced with spice, oak, tar and vanilla. Well balanced and full bodied, almost dense with just enough acid and tannins that are still a little drying but these should soften out. Long finish of spice, and tannin. Should only get better so hold off for another year or two on the other two.
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Bought this more recently (not from my original batch) and it showed that it had not been stored ideally for the last year. Still an awesome full shiraz that will only get better with age. I love this wine.
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Large-scaled vanilla oak and dark fruits - unmistakably Aussie Shiraz. Full-bodied but not over-the-top, actually has some acidity and no overwhelming alcohol. Far from refined, but better than expected and just what I was looking for on this particular night.
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Served at a restaurant dinner party. Drank after it was decanted 45 minutes. What can I say, jammy, jammy, jammy. An extraordinary burst of fruit and well balanced acidity. WOW, what can I say, I loved this wine. This is the second bottle I have drank in about six months, and this is better than the first time. I am looking forward to see how this wine progresses over the years with my remaining 4 bottles.
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Ah, I am such a sap. After listening to the Ashmeads from the Grape Radio Hospices du Rhone podcast, I went and tried this wine. Wine is about people, but that leads me so astray.
Oh dear, there is a reason I really don't bother with Australian wines and I keep forgetting it. Just loads of extraction with pippy and grippy tannins. Admittedly acidified by the winemaker, this is wholly out of balance. Dark, but not brooding. This wine pushes me away despite some hours in the decanter (and 3x back-n-forth decanting). I am so sad this wine is not undrinkable or awful, but is just souless and draining. More the evil for that.
Disinterested, this is wine has a rough body with very tight tannins and concentrated fruit. Oakey notes. Finsih is more of the same with no elevation or complexity. Has elements of quality, but a disjointed and mess of a wine.
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A very thick and concentrated Barossa shiraz, with everything such a monster should have: burst of plums and blueberries, lots of vanilla from the oak, some licorice and a very dense texture. Pure silk on the tought, with a great and long finish. I found it quite better and more approachable than the 2001 Command I had last year.
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Tasted at a retail wine tasting. Notes of chocolate peppermint patty, banana cream, and vanillin. Thick and unctuous and very much an Aussie Barossa shiraz, which is not a bad thing in book.
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keep this one in the cellar for a while. Tasted with the 01 Command, this was still very hot and tannic. The stuffing was there, but this was way too early to pop. The 90pts is my estimate of the future, not today. By comparison the '01 was a 94 with some room for improvement. Give this one time
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Love those Elderton Commands! Have found the 2000 and 2001 to be slightly more enjoyable than the 2002 (slightly... not much!) and after decanting for 2 hours it was the perfect accompaniment to the BBQ lamb my wife and I enjoyed for dinner. jamesbadd's notes from 7-3-06 are spot on and future bottles of this vintage will sit for another year or two before opening... hard to believe it'll get any better but we'll see what another year or two in the bottle will do. Bottom line is that it's really hard to go wrong with the Elderton Commands... along with the E & E Black Peppers, these are among my very favorite shiraz's.
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NobleRottersSydney - Christmas Lunch 2006 (David's place): Purple/ruby colour. Lots of fruit cake & red berries here, although a little more development than Fox. Rich upholstered palate, soft chalky tannins, full body. The vanilla/chocolate effect of the oak is more apparent here, but not overdone. Decent length of finish. Reasonably seductive wine that may improve for a few more years yet.
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Big, oaky spice and butterscotch nose over black currant fruit. Super-ripe and rich palate with low acidity and medium tannins; long, toasty oak finish. 4/5
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Awesome way to enjoy Thanksgiving. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Very drinkable now, will no doubt continue to be great for years to come as well. I'm interested to see how this ages, as I have 5 more bottles to drink.
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Decanted for 5 hrs and then drank over the next 4 hrs. A nice nose of huge black pepper and black fruits leads into a smoky black cherry flavor. Even with the dark components, this is showing more fruit then recent Commands have. On the palate, this is big and bold with tartness and a smattering of oak covering up some of the fruit the nose showed. The fruit is big and it is there, but I think this could use some time in the bottle to settle down a bit. If you peel away the tartness and oak, you find bright black cherry and blackberry flavors. This has an incredibly smooth mouthfeel and finishes up with blackberries accented by some oak. I found this to be more fruit filled and rambuctious than the 01 and 00 offerings. At this point, I prefer those vintages over this one, but this is still good stuff. Grade of A- with the potential to maybe become an A with some time in the bottle.
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Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark, full forward plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish. This wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit.
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Tasted with Terry. In a word balanced, beautifully balanced. A beautifully structured shiraz with currant, spices, mint, toasted oak, eucalypt, vanilla, expresso are just some of the things this wine revealed as it rolled back its layers over an hour and a half. Tasted side by side with the 2001 Annie's Lane copper trail shiraz which I love and thought it could run with command, but it did not quite make it. A seemless, balanced shiraz that is at once both a brickhouse and a red silk blouse.
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Decanted 4 hr’s. Rich, intense blueberry nose. Thick, rich flavors of spicy dark plums and blueberry along with faint hints of meat and pepper. Starts lush and big with dark chocolate liqueur intensifying on the mid-palate leading to a long, lingering finish that just never quits. Tannins are silky fine with just a touch of chalkiness. Another blockbuster Command that with ample decant time, is more approachable now than the previous 2 vintages were at this stage.
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Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark, full forward plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish. This wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit.
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12/31/2022 - kwattro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened this bottle after ~20 years sitting in under the stair case to bid farewell to 2022, and couldn't be happier.
The bottom half of the cork was disintegrated so the wine needed to be filtered, other than that the wine was flawless.
Straight out of the bottle, fresh and fruity aroma with hints of vanilla, and black tea, it was a bit gripy with a bit of soft tannin around the palate, but after an hour or so in the decanter, it turned into a silky smooth almost creamy liquid, absolutely gorgeous. It was indeed a very special wine for a special occasion.
It's good to drink now. But would last for another 5-10 years through careful collaring.
Happy New Year!!!
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9/2/2022 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice, not as good as 98 or 01, but still very good.
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7/20/2021 - Labrador Likes this wine: 90 Points
This was a lovely wine - rich but not heavy (even at 14.5%), smooth, balanced, comprised of mainly dark fruit with a very nice finish.
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6/17/2021 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 97 Points
It i upsetting to think this is this last bottle. So gorgeous. Maybe at its peak... but it did continue to get better, Soft blueberry and boysenberry. Delicate tannins. Rose petal and and a hint of eucalyptus on the nose.
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5/16/2021 - shebbar Likes this wine: 94 Points
With aging, the fragrance and spiciness more muted, but the wonderful chocolate and blueberry, along with the persistent taste from the coating of the tongue and throat, reminded me why I fell in love with drinking wine.
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5/2/2021 - T63 Likes this wine: 90 Points
I remembered it being very powerful back in in early 2000's but 18 years on it was almost chocolatey and a little sweet. Mid palate was excellent and lots of flavour but finish not there any more.
Still, a very pleasant drink but i had hoped for more. Probably best drunk in first10 years
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2/13/2021 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points
Chú Xī (除夕) Dinner at Home for Chinese New Year (Our House, Hong Kong): 4-hour decant (which turned out to be about right). Deep impenetrable black-ruby. Intense nose of fresh-ground coffee beans, torched blueberries, anthracite, vanilla, burnt rubber from a robbery getaway. Palate is deep, rich belly-filling concentrated black plum and cherry compote fruit, espresso coffee, star anise, liquorice stick. Gets blacker in flavour with extended time in the glass. Heady, reverberant and long. A big but balanced and well- proportioned wine. Really rounded out and got spicier and more complete with more time in the glass. This has years ahead of it to improve further but is drinking beautifully now with a long decant. Must try one of my case of the slow-maturing 1998: now would seem about the right time.
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6/21/2020 - acheng wrote: 90 Points
It is interesting that I actually don’t mind these big Aussie wine anymore. Smokey and big. Bright acidity and soft mouth feel. It retains enough interest and drank really easy. Finished the bottle in no time at all!
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3/21/2020 - OldHick95 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of smoke and warm spice, mint. Taste is stewed prunes and dates, ripe blackberry and fresh res fruit with a very slight sorghum earthiness. Medium finish with medium tannins. Excellently balanced with a smooth mouthfeel.
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3/14/2020 - jmh st louis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plum, anise. Well balanced.
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12/16/2019 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
A nicely integrated bottle of blueberries and unsweetened chocolate and a bit of animal. Dries a bit on finish with cracked pepper and a bit of chalk. Tannins are still there, fruit still there but heck, drink ‘em if you got ‘em. High alcohol doesn’t translate to heat and VA is well in check. 17 3/4 years have been kind to this which certainly could have gone wrong like so many overblown Shiraz’ if this era.
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9/22/2019 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Bright and pure ruby in the glass, pretty blackberry and cherry notes with an edge of savory spices. In the mouth, loads of sweet fruit that’s balanced by fresh acidity. Tannins are nicely settled at this point, but the finish is still firmly persistent and satisfying. Probably at peak, and stable and delicious here for at least another five years.
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6/23/2019 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose reveals; candied style blackberries, plum, boysenberries, stewed black plum, dark liqueur style cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, black licorice, sweet tarriness, crushed dry limestone, cinnamon stick, vanilla, dark chocolate, mocha with caramel, pepper, used leather, light notes of grilled meats, bright, dark red, purple flowers with violets.
The body is the leaner side of full. The tannins are nicely resolved but, still have tarry baby teeth. The structure, tension, balance and length have hit a sweet spot and still have at least 6-8 years of good drinking ahead. The palate fruits are ruby candied. Blackberries, olallieberries, plum, boysenberries, stewed black plum, dark liqueur style cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, black licorice, sweet tarriness, crushed dry limestone, dry top soils, wet clay, cinnamon stick, vanilla, dark chocolate, mocha with heavier caramel than the nose, dark spice with just a little palate heat, pepper, touch of mint with fresh herbs, used leather, notes of smokey, grilled meats, bright, dark red, purple flowers with violets. The acidity is near perfect. The long finish is; elegant, ruby, rich, well balanced and deliciously persistent. Just missed 94.
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3/9/2019 - shebbar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aged well in the cellar. The nose was enticing upon opening and the long finish was rewarding. It is a very elegant wine
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2/11/2019 - arthrovine wrote:
Remains huge. This repeatedly punched a 2012 Cayuse Wallah Wallah mag in the face. What a brute. Minimal to no secondary development. Very Good for what it is.
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11/10/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
This was missing most signs of fruit life, though showed some pedigree. The spice was well-integrated. Overall though, just not showing as well as one would expect. I still fondly remember how utterly stellar the ‘98 was, though its heyday is long past.
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6/1/2018 - Colin Maurise Likes this wine: 94 Points
A well balanced & integrated Shiraz from Elderton. Deep garnet red, full body, amazing nose & strong richness of raspberry, black cherry & vanilla notes, well-integrated soft tannin & alcohol after many years of aging in cellar. Bravo!
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5/29/2018 - Lousyfreak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very interesting. The first taste on opening showed me some savoury notes which I didn't expect. It was thin. I thought it was past its prime. But after letting it sit for a while and with the food. It begin to change. It is a true blue well-aged Shiraz. Very well made wine. I can see the clear structure in the wine. Started with that slight salty notes with a clear red fruit palate, ending with a nice typical Shiraz ending. Medium finish. Good wine with a not so good finishing. Enjoyed it. Dinner at Colin house with family.
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4/15/2018 - Erick Wand wrote:
Showed signs of being past its prime.
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3/19/2018 - joeroth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still amazing after 15 years! Probably has 5-7 more years. In its prime.
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2/3/2018 - bones2 Likes this wine:
wow
Still going strong, now smoother but with lots of life
glad to have another
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1/28/2018 - ekenneth wrote: 87 Points
Almost flawed. There's decline here, and the overwhelming flavor is must, rust? Some combination of the two with a slight chemical, saline quality. That said, it's drinkable on day 2 but a disappointment with this pedigree.
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12/9/2017 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 92 Points
Shap's 1st annual Xmas party: Tasted blind; pnp; Very disappointed I couldn't even get the right country on this one as I had this wine ~3 yrs ago. Nose was tight, ripe dark fruit, and hard to identify. This probably really could have used a good decant as it started to open more later in the evening.
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11/9/2017 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Part of vertical tasting of four early 2000's vintages
Under cork seal
Dense, smoke, blue berries aromas, with added earthiness
Smooth tannins, acidity still holding well, long and satisfying mouth feel
Over an hour went from being least approachable of four to most.
General comment on all four vintages ('01, '02, '04, '05). Family resemblance pronounced. Aromatics develop at slightly different rates, '01 overall being most intense. On palate, '05 has most fruit and acidity, distinctly less developed than others. '04 shows most savoury elements. '02 showed most development of flavours in glass. All demonstrate potential to be enjoyable for several more years
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11/8/2017 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, a bit restrained but fruit on the front,black berry, earthy undertones.
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11/7/2017 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft ripe Barossa shiraz, this should be a wine I don't particularly like but the flavour here is fantastic and it retains freshness, dare I say elegance?
It's top class wine.
{14.5%, screw cap}
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8/13/2017 - Russocaster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aterciopelado. Redondo. La dulzura de la ciruela se entremezcla con notas balsamicas, oliva negra, y sal. Delicioso. Incluso sin decantar, se recibe sin aristas. Delicioso
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8/5/2017 - SlimShaney wrote: 90 Points
Not less than 90 but not more. Previously I rated this much higher though this time, in spite of a decent breather, I found it outright acidic which was unexpected. Beneath that there's chocolate and damson apple but it's not hitting the spot for me.
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6/17/2017 - vino_Kaz Likes this wine: 98 Points
Stupendous Barossa Shiraz. Well stored can still go many more years. Yet drinking very well now. Concentrated, inky, vanilla, blackberry, cherry and hints of rose petal.
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6/15/2017 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brought to a vintage Syrah party and this was the clear winner. Rich, powerful and has aged to show very soft tannins.
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5/22/2017 - dpohlman wrote: 94 Points
This is possibly at its prime. Drink-up!
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5/7/2017 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
This has. Aged superbly. Rich and full by died, oaky with a hint of smoke, long finish. Served with lamb
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4/23/2017 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 93 Points
In great condition right now: dark red in the glass. Nose is big, with blackberries, plums, leather, dusty earth and smokey oak chips. The palate is velvety smooth and mouth coating, with fine tannins and a long, long finish of a mix of savoury and sweet spice.
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3/24/2017 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 93 Points
There is a slightly annoying alcohol burn on the finish, but otherwise this has matured into seriously fine and exotic red wine. Oaky fruit sweetness but dry. Mesmerising.
Drink over the next decade.
14.5% ABV, sealed with screwcap - if anyone thinks wine under screwcap won't age, well, this wine proves you wrong.
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3/21/2017 - ctjared Likes this wine:
consistent
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1/31/2017 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 94 Points
In great condition right now: dark red in the glass. Nose is big, with blackberries, plums, leather, dusty earth and savoury spice. The palate is velvety smooth and mouth coating, with fine tannins and a long, long finish. This is excellent. Been keeping these '02s since release (including a move overseas and back). Glad are they are rewarding the cellaring.
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12/29/2016 - jdbooth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needed minimal decant (30 minutes). Consumed over two days and was slightly better on the second day. Stored since purchase in a passive cellar with temps ranging from 50-65 degrees.
Slightly oaky for my tastes but drinking wonderfully. Fruit is still plentiful and youthful. No sign of drying out.
Minimal sediment and bricking. Medium-long finish. Dark, dark garnet color.
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12/24/2016 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 93 Points
I love 10+ year Command so it was with great expectations that I opened this at age 14.
The first sip suggested this was in good form and after a 45 minute decant it really hit its stride.
The weight is excellent as are the extracted black currants. However the finish is more soprano than tenor.
That said I repeatedly liken this wine to Grange, more than any other. Whilst this isnt the best vintage of Command (I love the 2004) good luck, blind, discerning this from a more modest vintage of Grange.
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11/12/2016 - Jimmy_D wrote: 91 Points
Deep opaque purple colour. Nose reinforces its big and bold stature. Very barossan. A lot smoother than I was expecting, carries the 14.5% better than most. Tertiary notes starting to come through stronger, may start to polarise some from here. Has peaked. Drink up.
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10/25/2016 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 93 Points
Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is a bit smoother and approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, blueberry, candied cherry, and black raspberry fruits with tones of camphor, black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a long finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/10/elderton-command-shiraz-single-vineyard.html
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10/7/2016 - benny wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Drank over 2 hours. Immediate aromas of tobacco, black fruit and leather. Somewhat port like. Last bottle
from my cellar and that's OK. Drink up
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10/6/2016 - Sthel Likes this wine: 95 Points
Intense ruby red, almost black. Full of body, soft tannins. Long and persistent end. Aromas of black fruits cooked, Plum, chocolate, tobacco, leather and spices. Ready to be enjoyed. After one hour, much better and new tastes, aromas and pleasures. Geat wine, as alwais.
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9/16/2016 - stayhappy21 wrote: 92 Points
Drank this wine with Arnold's Fried Chicken and friends from my theatre days.
Powerful aromatic nose of ripe plums, leather, dark chocolate and old wood made this a charming wine deserved the attention it received. The spice has mellowed over the years and the wine ends with a long, smooth finish.
Very well into its drinking window and not sure if it'll improve further over time.
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8/2/2016 - michelvl wrote: 95 Points
Consistent with my previous notes.
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7/11/2016 - Ternest83 wrote: 86 Points
Seem slightly one-dimensional with only ripe juicy berries coming through even after giving in time (~2 hours) in the glass. Great smooth velvety texture though. Would have liked abit more spice, tannins and a longer finish. In 2 minds whether this will improve with additional age, as the bold fruit and alcohol seem to indicate it can, but a lack of balance and complexity seems to indicate otherwise.
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6/17/2016 - vino_Kaz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Always an exceptional Barossa Shiraz. The vanillas oak is much tamer now and the wine is incredibly smooth, substantial fruit yet and gorgeous finish.
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5/30/2016 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. Rich Shiraz with extended finish.
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4/30/2016 - vino_Kaz wrote: 98 Points
Really drinking well now. Decanted for an hour. Extremely dense and smooth. Mocha, vanilla, blackberries and a little earthiness. A stupendous full bodied Barossa Shiraz.
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4/9/2016 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 93 Points
This one was big and bold - just what you expect Barossa shiraz to be. Plumy fruits, vanillan oak, with some secondary spice flavours coming through. Smooth, integrated tannins. Great bottle.
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3/10/2016 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still in excellent drinking condition IMHO. Dark red colour, savoury and chocolate flavours on the nose and palate, mixed with some dark fruits. Everything well integrated and tasting very smooth. If there is a fault, perhaps it drops off a bit suddenly, but that may just be the bottle I'm drinking.
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2/14/2016 - drmarclevine wrote: 89 Points
Just fell short. Decanted one hour. Milk chocolate and blackberry bush in the glass with a hint of cream. Not as powerful as I hoped for on the palate. Sweet tannin and blackberry with a medium/long finish. Seemed a bit past best. Improved with food. Braised lamb shanks with cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Drink now.
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1/4/2016 - michelvl wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with my previous notes
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12/29/2015 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last had this wine in 2009 and found one on closeout at $50 on the retail shelf of my local wine merchant. Opened and carefully poured into a decanter, no sediment to speak of. Brickish red as one would expect. I think storing at 70 degrees added 3-5 years to this bottle but in a good way.
This is a wonderful wine that kept getting better as the night went on. As I am sipping from the last glass writing this the taste is still on my palate from the start of the tasting note, impressive finish. The only nitpick is the nose wasn't as expressive to push it up a few points. My definition is how many inches above the rim you can really get a good sniff and this was only at 1" but deep red fruit and cloves emerge when you stick your snout in the glass. Great wine.
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11/20/2015 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purchased at sale recently. $45 a bottle. Clearly a bargain. Classic Barossa shiraz. Full, rich, depth, black fruit and alcohol. Ready but will keep for a few years.
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11/6/2015 - Moorsie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted in a Rohaus for an hour. Drank beautifully, no sign of age on this bottle at all. Outstanding in every way. A great Barossa shiraz.
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10/2/2015 - ubercuvee wrote:
Next to a 2002 Rockford "Hoffmann" SVS & 2004 Noon Reserve Shiraz this showed positively restrained and balanced(!)
In a good place right now
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9/11/2015 - hkm520240 wrote: 94 Points
Dark brooding red. Tasted (half) blind but plenty of chocolate notes on the nose immediately reminds me this must be a Command, along with blackberry, spice and vanilla toasty oak. On palate it exhibits milk chocolate, plum, blackberry, fruits cake, licorice and well integrated oak. Long persistent finish with fine grain tannins. Very good and holding very well after 13 years. No doubt that Command is a Command and it is my favourite for this 2002 horizontal tasting.
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9/10/2015 - hkm520240 wrote: 94 Points
Australia 2002 horizontal tasting on cooling-off day (Extra Space, Boon Keng): Dark brooding red. Tasted (half) blind but plenty of chocolate notes on the nose immediately reminds me this must be a Command, along with blackberry, spice and vanilla toasty oak. On palate it exhibits milk chocolate, plum, blackberry, fruits cake, licorice and well integrated oak. Long persistent finish with fine grain tannins. Very good and holding very well after 13 years. No doubt that Command is a Command and it is my favourite for this 2002 horizontal tasting.
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9/3/2015 - ctjared Likes this wine:
such great stuff. my favorite with lamb chops
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8/26/2015 - michelvl wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with previous notes
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4/19/2015 - rexmerlot wrote: 93 Points
Clear deep dark purple. Clean nose of black fruits, floral, and some vanilla. Dry, med body, med acidity, soft tannins, Black cherry, dark chocolate, and tobacco on palate. med+ finish. This wine is very nice. I am not normally a big Aussie Shiraz fan, but this is unlike anything I have had before. Very nice wine!
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3/31/2015 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last tasting of this was back in 2006 when I wrote "this wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit". Well nine years later, it is smoother and more polished and is certainly approachable with its delicious melange of black and blue fruits. Reiterating my initial tasting note when I wrote this was "huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is smooth and approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, candied cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry fruits with tones of black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/04/elderton-command-single-vineyard.html
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1/16/2015 - ctjared Likes this wine:
not as intense or spicey as other vintages.
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1/13/2015 - bordeaux4wino Likes this wine: 93 Points
I acquired this bottle within the last year and I wasn't sure about the provenance. It ended up being in perfect condition and it still had a lot of life to go. Dry, Full bodied, Med+ Alcohol, soft Med- Tannins and Med- Acidity. Notes of bitter chocolate, umami character like soy, balsamic, dried plums and black cherries and tobacco. These aromas carried through to the palate, which was full, soft and round, making it quite chewy in fact. The alcohol was very well integrated, even though there's not a whole lot of acidity to balance it out. The wine carries through the mid-palate, but the finish drops off a bit suddenly. Very well done. Enjoyed with beef stew and then finished the bottle through the evening. Drinking well right now but can easily go another 5-7years.
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1/3/2015 - arthrovine wrote:
Popped and poured, 2/3 bottle followed over 5 hours. Purple/slight brownish. Trace meniscus. Lots of sediment - this bottle had been stood up for about 5 days. Gained complexity over the duration. I was worried about decanting it - probably foolishly.
Nose was bitter dark fruited chocolate with mint, eucalyptus, and minute aromas of toasty wood. Savory flavors dominate the palate: mint, sage, dark berry, bitter chocolate, toasty wood, hint of charcoal. No prune or cooked fruit in this bottle. Nice acids. Gritty tannin. Long finish.
This is probably just entering its peak drinking window at 12 years. Should last awhile, I think. 92+
Delicious with a sous vide steak. Disclaimer: I like aged Aussie shiraz.
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12/13/2014 - Night Train Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last time I tasted this, only ten months ago, I said it had plenty of life left in it, but now I'm not so sure. Looks fine, and it's still rich, with a great finish, but I picked up a pruny note that was a little off-putting. It was a very big hit with everyone else at a Christmas party, so this opinion should be taken with several grains of salt, but I say it's time to drink up.
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11/14/2014 - Pcrage Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Expected much more. Off putting astringent finish. Lovely nose and mid palate but finish lacking across the board. Maybe a bad bottle. Disappointing.
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11/5/2014 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Consistently excellent
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9/28/2014 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 97 Points
96-97 pts
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8/25/2014 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Same as my other TNs. Great wine. Still has many years to go. Big brooding monster that also is developing more complexity. Pity that this was my last 2002.
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7/16/2014 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just another example of why you need to wait 10-15 years before you crack these top quality Aussie Syrahs. Great flavor, minerality, and still drinking "young".
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6/13/2014 - kurishin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Typical Barossa shiraz nose. It's the complexity on the palate that wins the rating. Classic shiraz but with something vegetal in there. Rhubarb? Some acidity, low tannins at this point. This wine is drinking well. Not sure about 2020 as the limit.
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5/16/2014 - dan_smee wrote: 92 Points
Well balanced, concentrated wine. Delicious leather, mocha. Still has legs, but right in the zone now for my tastes.
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3/16/2014 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Simple, oaky, mildly alcoholic, but also full-on delicious, as it was made to be. GraemeG's note says it all, and I fully agree that this is ready to go, now; not likely to improve, though it will clearly hold for the next 2-4 years with little effort. Quite full-bodied, but with fair enough supporting acids. Tannins are ripe and round, and the EtOH is mostly integrated at this stage. In a room full of interesting wines, this would not be one that would require a second taste. Handsome crowd pleaser, though an over-priced one in my opinion. Drink now.
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3/3/2014 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Shiraz 10 years+ (Verde, East Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} (Gordon) Doouble-decanted two hours prior. This is very much in the style of Barossa flagships of the era, which is to say that US-oak vanilla and coconut dominate proceedings here. There is plummy blackberry and blueberry fruit too, but there’s no getting away from that oak. This is quite developed, with loose powdery tannins and fairly soft acid; it is full-bodied, and has lots of impact on the mid-palate. Medium length finish, dry; impressive and weighty but seems just a bit one-dimensional after the Schulz. At peak I’d say; drink within 3 years because I don’t see more complexity coming here.
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3/1/2014 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is one of my favorite Aussis. They are one of the few that was good and has continued at a high level. I have been picking them out at auction and am happy to spend the $80 to $90 to have them. This is complex - a lot of smokiness, tobacco and a dose of chocolate. Deep fruit cherry and blueberry (black and red). I will be continuing to try and find well priced Commands.
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2/5/2014 - yiuwing_hk Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big nose of dark fruit, mocha, licorice, hint of sweet spice & eucalyptus. The mouth feel is so good, tons of perfect maturity dark fruits and silky tannins with a full spectrum of spices and a backbone of minerals. I like the texture and finesse of this wine. The length can go ~20 secs with dark fruit and peppery finish which perfectly match with the steak last night.
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2/2/2014 - Night Train Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a monumental wine. Great nose - mostly black fruit. Assorted black fruits, plums, licorice, and a little coffee on the palate. Tongue-coating viscosity and mouth-filling fruit that sticks around long after swallowing. No signs of age. In fact, the tannins and acidity suggest that it may still improve with more time in the bottle. Since I'm 68, it may well outlive me.
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9/21/2013 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is becoming one of my favorite Aussi Barossas. Firstly, unlike a lot of the early 2000 shiraz this is not fading. This is in the middle of its drinking window and will still go longer. Secondly it is the right amount of fruit forward, but with a big backbone of tannin, which is well covered by the fruit. Thirdly this is a big, big wine. Not for food; it will overpower, but for drinking on its own.
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9/6/2013 - eddo & penny Likes this wine: 94 Points
silky smooth
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8/8/2013 - ctjared wrote:
Consistent
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7/31/2013 - ctjared wrote:
Super consistent. This stuff is so good.
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7/7/2013 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ver full bodied, dark color, hints of black fruit and earthy undertone. Went perfectly with a lamb roast
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7/2/2013 - diastole Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is entering its prime drinking window. Strong in the glass for 1-2 hours. Classic Shiraz character. Deep purple. Floral and chocolate nose. Strong fruit with a nice finish. Drink now to over the next three years.
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7/1/2013 - smcilhen wrote:
Hmmm, was OURS DE VIN at my house Saturday night? Because that tasting note summarizes my thoughts perfectly on this wine. As usual, very good. Velvety mouthfeel.
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7/1/2013 - ours de vin wrote: 92 Points
92 Points. Allowed three-hour decant. Served with burgers and sausages from the grill. On the nose there was a lot of black fruit and cedar with an earthiness undertone. The wine on the palette was big but balanced with a heavy tone. A lot of blackberry, mineral (like flint), minty tones on the front end with a medium to long finish. Very solid showing, optimistic it will stay here awhile but not optimistic it will continue to improve.
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5/22/2013 - carstenf wrote: 92 Points
As before : Heavy fruit and berry notes with elements of mineral. A great wine.
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4/27/2013 - familydoc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Magnum stored in temperature control since release
Nose: floral, anise, so smooth and clean, huge bouquet can be smelled from feet away, becomes more blueberry driven with air
Taste: huge, still quite tannic at one hour, drank over about three hours, tongue coating, huge finish, inky and blueberry driven,
This was an exceptional wine, I'm surprised to be so much higher on this than other tasting notes here, I thought it was comparable in quality to Cayuse or other top Shiraz I've had.
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3/30/2013 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy, chewy and complex. Great with some prima Donna cheese
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3/25/2013 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Needs well over 90 mins of air to shine. Deep, dark fruit on silky tannins.
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2/1/2013 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 92 Points
---
COLOR: Deep, dark garnet w/medium garnet rim
NOTE: Always well-made and impressive with 10 years ag, maybe 3-5 more years to go but not likely to improve. This is a typical cherry-driven syrah which isn't my preference. Nose was initially overwhelming oak, but subsides after 4 hrs, giving way to kirsh and dark cocoa, tar, tomatoe, menthol. Mouth is rich, no heat, fine tannins with ripe cherry fruit and serious mouth-watering acidity. Finish is 30+ seconds of black cherry liqueur.
DECANT: 1-4 hours
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.2
OTHER:
COST: 57
VALUE: 6.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED:
TRY AGAIN: now - 2015
PAIRING:
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
---
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1/12/2013 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely lovely, and vibrant. I will hold the other two bottles at least for two years. I might hold the last one for up to five depending on the results in two years!
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12/9/2012 - ColinR wrote: 92 Points
Crimson-black; blackberries, black cherries, black pepper, smoked meat; concentrated berry/cherry, vanilla, creamy, full body, excellent structure, firm ripe tannins, lingering finish.
Decanted 1 hr, some sediment. Lush black fruit with spicey/gamey notes typical of Barossa shiraz. Seemed more youthful than its' 10 years, lots of life ahead.
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11/17/2012 - shaneajohnson wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well right now. Needs about one hour of air.
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10/28/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 92 Points
Perfect balance and structure. A touch lean on the palate these days, but clearly outstanding. Almost Cabernet like....
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10/6/2012 - sfqwino wrote: 89 Points
Big and burly with a long finish. unfortunately this lacks balance. i did not like it
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9/16/2012 - sfqwino wrote: 90 Points
Screams barossa shiraz. Dark, ripe berries, sweet american oak, incense, herbs. Pretty well made, but just not my kind of wine.
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8/29/2012 - azzah wrote: 94 Points
Purple black in colour - impenetrable and palate staining. Heady aromas of an array of dark fruits. Very complex flavours of blackberry, plums, some dark cherry, chocolate, meats, tobacco and spice. Full, full bodied, but all seemed in balance. Mocha oak now well and truly integrated. Velvety tannins and long length. Right in its drinking window, I reckon. Almost the perfect Barossa shiraz.
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8/27/2012 - leftylevi wrote: 93 Points
Opened and was a pop and pour. Did not seem to be fading in the least since the last time I had this. Still a very big wine with loads of dark fruits bursting from the glass. This was supported by background notes of sweet tobacco and leather. Although still a seemingly young wine with a decent chunck of tannins, it was quite balanced, at least to my tastes. The tannins were buttressed but excellent acidity and a very large mouthfeel. I would guess this is close to peak but should hold on for quite a while more with no obvious signs of fading in the near future. The wine continued to open up throughout the night. Threw only a small amount of sediment
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8/25/2012 - Sijan wrote: 92 Points
Excellent - concentrated bright fruit witha vibrant acid backbone.
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8/23/2012 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 94 Points
45+ second finish, was very approachable straight out of the bottle but shined after 2 hours of air
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8/11/2012 - Night Train wrote: 93 Points
A bottle ten months ago was disappointing. This one sure wasn't! Intense, assertive nose. Big time berries and chocolate. Massive, but with a lot of finesse. Great finish. A five tool player, for sure.
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8/5/2012 - bundydavis wrote: 94 Points
Amazing!
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8/4/2012 - mike410 wrote: 94 Points
Just as good as my last grade. Drink soon as I think this may begin to fade in a couple of years.
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7/28/2012 - guitarguy wrote: 94 Points
The bomb of fruit, perfumy, chocolate and berry nose. Just a big old fruit bowl, with earthy, smokey after notes. It still retains elegance and balance, despite its size. If you like 'em big, modern and clean (no Brett, yea), this is da bomb.
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6/3/2012 - signotim wrote: 94 Points
big, meaty nose with tobacco and backbone of dark fruit. sweet and savory palate with long, persistent finish
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6/3/2012 - atyrs1 wrote: 96 Points
Consumed on 5/27/12. Took about 2 hours to open up. Bold and fruit forward tempered by it's complexity.
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5/20/2012 - Lobonick wrote:
Normally a fantastic wine, this one may have gotten cooked in one of my house moves, so not rating
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4/5/2012 - stocksandbondage wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. Beautifully balanced. Drinking beautifully. Creamy flavors of red raspberry and blackberry with well integrated oak and refined tannins.
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3/3/2012 - benny wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding. Drank over 2 hours. Still going strong. Classic Austrailian benchmark Shiraz.
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2/4/2012 - arthrovine wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was freckin awesome last night. It took awhile (2 hours) to open and had quite a bit of tannin. Finish was long, and undulating. Great
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1/10/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote:
Lots of VA which never really dissipated or blew off- very off putting. Porty, extremely ripe and flabby, lacking any kind of definition or structure. This bottle appears flawed based on other's reviews of this wine.
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11/4/2011 - tplskylrk wrote: 89 Points
Just not performing well tonight. Never came into balance. Good, but a shell of it's heritage. Variation?
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10/23/2011 - Night Train wrote: 89 Points
Somewhat muted - possibly in a dumb phase. Pleasant enough, but seemed a little thin and shy.
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10/21/2011 - Giggs wrote: 95 Points
Screwcap bottle brought back from Australia in 12/2008. Decanted 3.5 hours. Dark, opaque garnet. Compelling nose of black licorice, potting soil, molasses/caramel, blackberries, black plum, smoky vanilla, toasted marshmallow, with oak nuances well integrated into the nose. Beautifully balanced and full-bodied palate, with sweet-edged blackberry and black plum, an herbal streak and black olive in the background, silky texture, excellent midpalate transition into a long, juicy-sweet finish of ripe dark fruit. Youthful, but exactly where it needs to be now; will easily go 5 more years.
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9/27/2011 - phenricsson wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was very soft. Good aromatics but lacking structure. Earlier bottles have been better but maybe it is getting a bit over the hill?
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9/23/2011 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
4th bottle over 3 years. Dark purple, not black, not extracted looking. That roasted plums/prunes you get with ripe Barossa's. I like it personally. After drinking a Pax from Cali, the two different styles and Terriors are so enjoyably different. Big delicious, yummy, balanced, a wow wine. Much better than last few. Getting similar flavors, This one does have that acified effets from 18 months back. Still pretty backward finish, so some time to go. Lets see what overnight does to her, hopefully my previous negative comments are beginning to get resolved into the wine.
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8/16/2011 - arthrovine wrote:
Have had several of these over the past 2 years. This bottle had the most reticent nose, thin/hollow midpalate and mouthfeel, and abrupt, somewhat sharp finish. While the basic components of the fruit were there, they were hidden (or past?). No discernible TCA. No change with splash decanting or over 4 hours. The next day, however, the wine showed more typical fruit, dust, must, and tobacco. Still not the velvety complex beauty it typically is. I guess its bottle variation. Day #2's rating is probably a 90.
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8/7/2011 - mmcdds wrote: 93 Points
Dense and unctuous with a velvety mouthfeel. Cassis, pipe tobacco, leather, pain grille and cedar flavors have all woven together seamlessly into an excellent bottle of wine. All the hard edges are gone leaving a smooth, well balanced, palate coating, hedonistic drinking experience. Elderton Command never disappoints me. This needed a coule of hours on the decanter and is certainly not for those looking for a delicate wine.
Better on day two. Brighter fruit and cleaner flavors. For those that like a big, bold and thick Aussie shiraz, you can't go wrong with Elderton Command. Their regular bottling, Elderton Shiraz, is also quite excellent at less than half the price of Command.
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7/23/2011 - lizeneca wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours and gave it a 20 minute session in the refrigerator to cool it off. Nice nose, chocolaty, dark fruits. Extremely velvety and weightless in the mouse, luxurious. There was this underlying salt-licorice flavor to the wine that I didn't particularly like - but, at the right temperature, not too warm or cool, with food, there was enough else going on to prevent that salt-licorice flavor from dominating. Didn't come together enough for me to really enjoy it - comfortable, luxurious, but not enough unique character to keep things interesting.
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5/28/2011 - Saul wrote: 92 Points
Normally, like the reviews below, this wine kills. This bottle had a flawed cork and really had a musty smell and I feared a bad bottle, but after a decant, it really shook the mustiness off but had very different characteristics than what I am accustom to in an Elderton. This bottle was very subtle on the fruit (normally an explosion of dark fruit and chocolate notes) and had undertones of tobacco. Loved it, but would have never picked this one out of a line up.
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5/1/2011 - hammie1234 wrote: 94 Points
Superb structure: earth, licorice exquisitely balanced with black fruit.
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5/1/2011 - bundydavis wrote: 95 Points
This wine is just incredible. If I could create the perfect Syrah/Shiraz, it would be The Command. It delivers everything I want in a wine and then some. Amazing nose, beautiful dark fruit and silky tannins. Can't see this wine getting any better, but it has a lot of life left. Drink now till 2015.
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4/24/2011 - tonsta wrote: 92 Points
Oak still sticking out, wait 5yrs for the fruit to (hopefully) take the drivers seat...
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3/16/2011 - rrschrumjr wrote: 94 Points
Christmas on the nose. Soft flavors on the palate, with a wealth of chocolate and other pleasant secondary characteristics. Highly recommend. Will certainly be on the lookout for this in the future.
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3/16/2011 - gblacave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aussie Gems (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): Splash decanted and put back in the bottle about 2 1/2 hrs prior to service. This is not something that would normally be in my wheelhouse, but I really enjoyed it. On the nose, this was showing pronounced eucalyptus notes, dark fruits, baking spice, and a touch of mocha. I really enjoyed the nose and even though it is more forward than my usual preference, I found it to be balanced and really striking just the right chords. On the palate, it is smooth and velvety, a chocolate milkshake-like texture as Matt Orsino noted, this is definitely fruit-forward with blueberry, blackberry, black cherry but also mocha, eucalyptus and earth notes. At the same time, this has just the right amount of acid to keep the fruit from becoming flabby and it retains a tannic structure that gives the wine shape. This was my surprise of the night and a wine that I will keep an eye out for in the future.
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3/16/2011 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Australian Gem Tasting (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): This has an intoxicating nose. Rich chocolate tones mingle with brambles, dark cherry, warm spices, and cassis. The fruit is rich...almost fat, but remains balanced. The acidity isn't too pronounced, but this has remarkable balance for such a forward style of wine. Clearly we have some fantastic winemaking at play here. One of the better wines of the night.
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3/13/2011 - Lobonick wrote: 94 Points
Easily one of my favorite wines. Deep and dark and concentrated. Texture on the palate is very rich and creamy. This tannins have a little but of a rough edged rusticity. The balance of grippy tannins against high-toned caramel notes that make this wine just a delight. Lots of fruit and some cedar spice round out this wine that is nice on its own and better with mediterranean flavors in the food. Fantastic wine.
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2/12/2011 - dpohlman wrote: 96 Points
This remains the standard by which I judge all other Aussie Shiraz. I have bottles from vintages 2000 to 2005. This wine is able to maintain solid dark fruit, and it has an amazing structure and finish. The 2005 is my absolute favorite, but the 2002 is very close behind.
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1/21/2011 - Decant it wrote: 90 Points
Great fruit and well balanced. Cedar blackberry and pepper remained for hours after opening. From start to finish, and a long finish at that, very enjoyable.
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1/8/2011 - benny wrote: 95 Points
Fine wine. Extraordinary nose. Sweet tannins on the palate. Long finish.
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12/19/2010 - tplskylrk wrote: 90 Points
Dark red/purple. Some dark green notes, green olive?, alch., mint, roasted meat, black sausage. Nice mouthfeel, big dark fruit finish. Oak still a bit chemicalized for me. Tannins are there, stripping after a wave of fruit. This is a complex wine with some further development underneath, Great licorice extended finish. That acid"fied" taste noted previously is there but seems this bottle is a little more resolved. This might be that green note I am getting. This now further resolves coming together making this a great wine, or it begins a decent of falling apart. 90++?
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11/22/2010 - cadamson wrote: 89 Points
Deep purple, pretty vivid nose of Barossa Shiraz, lots of black fruit, some olive and cocoa. Not jammy on the palate, but very high on the fruit strength, it tastes very good but gets a bit tiring. Also seems to be a bit light on structure. Having said that, it does have some decent nuances on the finish and is all in all pretty enjoyable. Not a bad effort, fruit has years to go, not sure if there is enough backbone to keep up with it.
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11/13/2010 - junglejuice wrote: 95 Points
Had twice in the last month, both with consistent notes - This is what Aussie wine is all about and done to perfection. Big, sweet and in your face with no heat to speak of and an amazing mouthfeel. With huge underlying complexities mixing beautifully with the excuisite, pure fruit, this wine is at its absolute peak. This is everything Australian wines are praised for with none of drawbacks (heat, too over the top/sweet/alcoholic) Drink up and enjoy!
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9/24/2010 - Moorsie wrote: 91 Points
Big, complex Shiraz. Nice balance of fruit and spice.
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9/13/2010 - Saul wrote: 93 Points
yet again spectacular. Very well integrated spice, chocolate and dark fruit. A real monster of a shiraz.
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7/25/2010 - shadow wrote: 96 Points
Drink up, my last one, and its smoking. Dark dark in color, nose is just a faint stew of herbs and bacon. Mouth feel, sublime, can't stop sipping.
The flavors are all intertwined
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7/4/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 85 Points
A little better than first two bottles with a 1 hr decant. Still not my favotite style of Shiraz, very subdued with no sign of pepper or spice. Mediun body and no memorable finish.
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6/10/2010 - pizzler wrote: 94 Points
This was easily our WOTN. The nose was a combination of classic Shiraz, vanilla, caramel, which transferred over when tasting the wine as well. This had a very long finish, with hints of dark berries and pepper to add to the marvelous mix of flavors. No question but this wine has years ahead of itself to mature.
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5/18/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 84 Points
Not much better than first bottle although cork had no streaking this time. The wine is just average with a big overblown nose and hint of alcohol. It drank ok but was nothing to get excited about.
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5/15/2010 - Saul wrote: 92 Points
A classic shiraz, this one is one of my favorites. Inky dark, intense nose with dark fruit and spice. Wine really opened up after an hour with great mocha, fruit, and spice followed by a long finish with a hint of vanilla. Aging very nice!
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4/10/2010 - kietkopelli wrote: 95 Points
This wine continues to age remarkably well. Fruit is giving way to more pepper and mocha flavors. The finish is also lengthening very well.
I look forward to opening another one around August.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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3/29/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 84 Points
This was a bit disappointing compared to reviews i've seen. this bottle may have been off from heat damage as the cork was streaked almost to the top. I'll try another bottle soon
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12/1/2009 - Tarrant wrote: 92 Points
Awesome Aussie Shiraz, extreme concentration, and almost port-like, but enough acidity to make it a classic - Black, full bodied with a nose of extreme plum, cherry, chocolate, pepper, blueberry and vanilla, excellent structure and balance, silky smooth on the palate with amazing length. a winner (92 Points).
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11/11/2009 - hulke wrote: 92 Points
Chocolate, dark berry flavor... very long, somewhat spicy finish.
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10/16/2009 - shadow wrote: 90 Points
time to drink up, signs of old age are on the tip of my tongue, besides that, pleasant shiraz, well integrated, still tasty
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9/1/2009 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Nicely zippy but also savory and well integrated. Nose is a bit closed, blueberries, raspberries and oak. Quite a bit of acidity, blueberries, tar, bit of baked prunes (in a good way), hints of vanilla and oak. Very good. Seems quite young, but maybe the pruning hints will take over with time. I guess I would try to consume withing 3-5 years.
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8/9/2009 - bundydavis wrote: 94 Points
Similar notes as previous bottles.
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7/22/2009 - bistro wrote: 94 Points
Thick and dark, with strong dark fruit and chocolate flavors that are smooth and linger for awhile on a frame of acidity that keeps the finish persistant. May not be quite as good as other years, but is still quite good.
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6/30/2009 - kietkopelli wrote: 94 Points
If you like big Australian Shiraz this is the wine for you. Huge fruit and pepper but with a very strong chocolate presence. I think the 2003 vintage is considerably better at about the same prince point.
Remember, you don't drink the label.
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6/29/2009 - cmr wrote: 94 Points
Awesome, full bodied and rich with dark fruits galore as it opened throughout the night gave strong hints of expresso and coffee also.
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6/21/2009 - Cobbster wrote: 93 Points
Smokey fruit still dominates.
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6/21/2009 - lovedoktor wrote: 90 Points
A wine that took some time to open up, even after decanting, but was well-balanced with subtle spice on the finish. Served with porterhouse in a green peppercorn sauce, rosemary-garlic potatoes, and a salad with a truffle-dijon dressing.
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6/3/2009 - 2Travel wrote: 93 Points
unctuous
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5/10/2009 - tonsta wrote: 94 Points
Still too young, oak is a bit dominating at present. Lovely wine with a massive future (and rating will improve with time). Drink from 2012.
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3/13/2009 - AdamWallstein wrote: 90 Points
There was some serious concentration happening here to be sure. But for my taste, way too much oak. The nose was all vanilla and dill, and the pallate boasted boysenberry vanilla ice cream. Rich texture... not quite over the top, and strangely not actually sweet seeming. 20% less of oak would have gotten me into the mid nineties.
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2/12/2009 - tplskylrk wrote: 91 Points
Does not disappoint. Similar notes as December 08. Taking a point off as finish is a bit oaky & a acid/tannic thing that needs to settle or this will go - 90. Guess this is what Andrew_wine wrote about it being, "acidified??' Looks like was a stupid idea at this point. Problem resolved with a nibble on a brownie, but still worrisome.
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1/21/2009 - Arch57 wrote: 93 Points
A fabulous wine. Even when I poured this into the decanter I got a whiff of what was awaiting us with dinner. This is a dense powerful wine without being over the top. The nose provided a basket of fresh dark fruits with some cinnamon hints. On the palate this coated the mouth with boysenberries and the finish would last for a minute.
This is a wine I sipped very slowly, even though it was tempting to just keep chugging away. After each sip you could detect the essence of the wine for a long time. My first Command I have a 2004 in the cellar and will wait a few years on that one.
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1/11/2009 - TomH wrote: 92 Points
Good mouthful of dark fruit. Doesn't suffer from excessive alcohol like so many of it's siblings from the same region.
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12/16/2008 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple. Can smell the dense fruit wafting off the bottle, decanter & glass of ripe blueberries, dark black berries (some oak & vanilla as well, a bit worrisome).
Nice glycerin rich mouth feel. Rich, sexy, great front palate bounce, decent mid of oak, fruit and vanilla, finishes with a bit of dry tannins, a lingering palate. Some bitter chocolate as well. A bit drying and oaky for me compared to other vintages at this point. Paring with steak and trimmings later.
Few hours later with steak dinner wine finally develops to expected pedigree. Chocolate cake effect emerges on the palate, finish deepens. After the da*n dog ate one of the steaks while we were distracted . . . meal goes on. Add dark chocolate, cigar and the Command stands up, a heavy weight. Enter the Yering Station Shiraz/Vognier. Ouch, a one round knockout punch, get outta here little boy.
Not sure this will develop into the expected class this wine is born in to (finish is just too short, mid palate focused. CMCARNES may be onto something?), but an excellent baby at this point. Hold for best performance, or drink one a year to track till 2020. The 2000 vintage is still to me is the best.
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11/18/2008 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 84 Points
This wine has no anima! My second thought, ' this wine is completely out of balance'. It seems like it has been manipulated, rather severely, to bring it around, but to no avail. I do believe that there are some good parts in this wine, but they are going in every direction. I really think that the oak is a lot too much. There is some good ripe fruit, mixed in with too much clove. Interestingly, the wine is not huge or 'brooding' as someone else wrote, it just has no lift or gravity; nothing to give it weight. Thus the 'no anima' beginning.
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11/5/2008 - kietkopelli wrote: 95 Points
Elderton's Command is just the quintessential Ausie Shiraz. Loads of fruit, great spice, and a longer lingering finish. The 2002 vintage is not as big as the 2003 but offer a bit more complexity. I say it has about 80-85% of the fruit profile of 2003, the black pepper is more subdue. It makes up for those is lots of mocha in the mouth and a hint of grapefruit on the finish. Which I think is extremely unusual and equally enjoyable in a Shiraz.
Buy it if you can find it under $60!
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11/3/2008 - Wink wrote: 93 Points
What a lovely wine! Nice nose of dark fruit and vanilla. Very balanced palate with ripe fruit, minerals, pepper, integrated tannins, refreshing acidity, and toasty oak. Beautifully made and drinking well NOW.
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11/3/2008 - bundydavis wrote: 94 Points
This wine seems to get better and better every time I drink it. Glad I have more.
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10/4/2008 - Cobbster wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with last tasting, but the smokey blackberry nose has more hints of oak. Still delicious.
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8/31/2008 - hfogle wrote:
cellar for a while - aug 2008
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8/31/2008 - JLL wrote: 96 Points
awesome, the oak has been integrated, the forward, mid and finish are spectacular, very well integrated. The tar, blueberry and smoke are incredible. Have more, thank goodness...
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8/21/2008 - gesusser wrote: 95 Points
Tremendous....had a martini B4 dinner @ Cafe L'europe @ Palm Beach...brought this with us from the cellar as there was no corkage fee...popped & poured...wife and I could not remember a shiraz so full, yet so smooth and clean: tremoundous finish... got so wasted that she had to drive home...could not even finish the bottle!!!
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7/17/2008 - bundydavis wrote: 94 Points
Wow! This wine is amazing. Perfect Shiraz. Lots of fruit, but not too overpowering.
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4/10/2008 - Cobbster wrote: 93 Points
Nose of smokey blackberry. Dark and creamy fruit on the palate lead to a long tasty finish.
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4/4/2008 - JLL wrote: 94 Points
awesome...
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12/17/2007 - lizjagla@yahoo.com wrote: flawed
While this was still drinkable, this was not a good bottle of this wine. Came from the same lot I enjoyed before and rated 95/96, so I am not sure what happended here. Let decant 3 hours and it never opened up, and had a mildewy/oxidized aftertaste. What a shame, because this was part of a blind tasting with many many friends, and I wanted to show them all up.
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11/3/2007 - enosnob wrote: 95 Points
11/01/2007: Deep dark purple color, explosive nose: floral and eucalyptus showing under waves of black and blue berries, spice and vanilla. Big blueberry and black/bosenberry flavors nicely balanced with spice, oak, tar and vanilla. Well balanced and full bodied, almost dense with just enough acid and tannins that are still a little drying but these should soften out. Long finish of spice, and tannin. Should only get better so hold off for another year or two on the other two.
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7/22/2007 - lizjagla@yahoo.com wrote: 93 Points
Bought this more recently (not from my original batch) and it showed that it had not been stored ideally for the last year. Still an awesome full shiraz that will only get better with age. I love this wine.
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5/4/2007 - psmith wrote:
Large-scaled vanilla oak and dark fruits - unmistakably Aussie Shiraz. Full-bodied but not over-the-top, actually has some acidity and no overwhelming alcohol. Far from refined, but better than expected and just what I was looking for on this particular night.
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4/1/2007 - lizjagla@yahoo.com wrote: 96 Points
Served at a restaurant dinner party. Drank after it was decanted 45 minutes. What can I say, jammy, jammy, jammy. An extraordinary burst of fruit and well balanced acidity. WOW, what can I say, I loved this wine. This is the second bottle I have drank in about six months, and this is better than the first time. I am looking forward to see how this wine progresses over the years with my remaining 4 bottles.
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3/28/2007 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Ah, I am such a sap. After listening to the Ashmeads from the Grape Radio Hospices du Rhone podcast, I went and tried this wine. Wine is about people, but that leads me so astray.
Oh dear, there is a reason I really don't bother with Australian wines and I keep forgetting it. Just loads of extraction with pippy and grippy tannins. Admittedly acidified by the winemaker, this is wholly out of balance. Dark, but not brooding. This wine pushes me away despite some hours in the decanter (and 3x back-n-forth decanting). I am so sad this wine is not undrinkable or awful, but is just souless and draining. More the evil for that.
Disinterested, this is wine has a rough body with very tight tannins and concentrated fruit. Oakey notes. Finsih is more of the same with no elevation or complexity. Has elements of quality, but a disjointed and mess of a wine.
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3/23/2007 - Medo wrote: 95 Points
One of my favs from the ProWein fair:
A very thick and concentrated Barossa shiraz, with everything such a monster should have: burst of plums and blueberries, lots of vanilla from the oak, some licorice and a very dense texture. Pure silk on the tought, with a great and long finish. I found it quite better and more approachable than the 2001 Command I had last year.
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3/10/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at a retail wine tasting. Notes of chocolate peppermint patty, banana cream, and vanillin. Thick and unctuous and very much an Aussie Barossa shiraz, which is not a bad thing in book.
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2/17/2007 - JLL wrote: 90 Points
keep this one in the cellar for a while. Tasted with the 01 Command, this was still very hot and tannic. The stuffing was there, but this was way too early to pop. The 90pts is my estimate of the future, not today. By comparison the '01 was a 94 with some room for improvement. Give this one time
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2/12/2007 - DuckfaninMT wrote: 94 Points
Love those Elderton Commands! Have found the 2000 and 2001 to be slightly more enjoyable than the 2002 (slightly... not much!) and after decanting for 2 hours it was the perfect accompaniment to the BBQ lamb my wife and I enjoyed for dinner. jamesbadd's notes from 7-3-06 are spot on and future bottles of this vintage will sit for another year or two before opening... hard to believe it'll get any better but we'll see what another year or two in the bottle will do. Bottom line is that it's really hard to go wrong with the Elderton Commands... along with the E & E Black Peppers, these are among my very favorite shiraz's.
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12/6/2006 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Christmas Lunch 2006 (David's place): Purple/ruby colour. Lots of fruit cake & red berries here, although a little more development than Fox. Rich upholstered palate, soft chalky tannins, full body. The vanilla/chocolate effect of the oak is more apparent here, but not overdone. Decent length of finish. Reasonably seductive wine that may improve for a few more years yet.
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12/6/2006 - bhornby wrote: 94 Points
Great wine - will let rest of my lot age 2 years before enjoying another.
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12/5/2006 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big, oaky spice and butterscotch nose over black currant fruit. Super-ripe and rich palate with low acidity and medium tannins; long, toasty oak finish.
4/5
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11/24/2006 - lizjagla@yahoo.com wrote: 95 Points
Awesome way to enjoy Thanksgiving. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Very drinkable now, will no doubt continue to be great for years to come as well. I'm interested to see how this ages, as I have 5 more bottles to drink.
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11/9/2006 - Wrighty wrote:
Watson's World Wine Week tasting - 06 (Marriot Hotel, Hong Kong): Perhaps it was the occasion but this just seemd to cause alcohol burn
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10/26/2006 - idrinkvino wrote: 93 Points
I believe this was consumed a bit too fast. Just started to open up as we finished the final drops...
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9/17/2006 - cmr wrote: 94 Points
A little tight on opening but after decanting for an hour began to open up beautifully.
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8/12/2006 - idrinkvino wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely wonderful.
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7/3/2006 - jamesbadd wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 5 hrs and then drank over the next 4 hrs. A nice nose of huge black pepper and black fruits leads into a smoky black cherry flavor. Even with the dark components, this is showing more fruit then recent Commands have. On the palate, this is big and bold with tartness and a smattering of oak covering up some of the fruit the nose showed. The fruit is big and it is there, but I think this could use some time in the bottle to settle down a bit. If you peel away the tartness and oak, you find bright black cherry and blackberry flavors. This has an incredibly smooth mouthfeel and finishes up with blackberries accented by some oak. I found this to be more fruit filled and rambuctious than the 01 and 00 offerings. At this point, I prefer those vintages over this one, but this is still good stuff. Grade of A- with the potential to maybe become an A with some time in the bottle.
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5/16/2006 - rmcnees wrote: 95 Points
Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark, full forward plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish. This wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit.
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5/12/2006 - tskrueger wrote: 92 Points
Hospice du Rhone Seminar 1 - A Command Performance: The Wines of Elderton (Paso Robles): Creamy mint. Inky purple color. Eucalyptus and vanilla. Birght and vibrant color. Nice balance of fruit and acid. Midpalate shows some meat and leather. Showed the best of the 3 Commands.
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4/15/2006 - N2Vin wrote: 97 Points
Tasted with Terry. In a word balanced, beautifully balanced. A beautifully structured shiraz with currant, spices, mint, toasted oak, eucalypt, vanilla, expresso are just some of the things this wine revealed as it rolled back its layers over an hour and a half. Tasted side by side with the 2001 Annie's Lane copper trail shiraz which I love and thought it could run with command, but it did not quite make it. A seemless, balanced shiraz that is at once both a brickhouse and a red silk blouse.
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3/18/2006 - GreenDrazi wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 4 hr’s. Rich, intense blueberry nose. Thick, rich flavors of spicy dark plums and blueberry along with faint hints of meat and pepper. Starts lush and big with dark chocolate liqueur intensifying on the mid-palate leading to a long, lingering finish that just never quits. Tannins are silky fine with just a touch of chalkiness. Another blockbuster Command that with ample decant time, is more approachable now than the previous 2 vintages were at this stage.
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5/16/2004 - rmcnees wrote: 95 Points
Huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark, full forward plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish. This wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit.
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