2001 Elderton Shiraz Single Vineyard Command
Community Tasting Note
f22nickell wrote:
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - Seattle Wine Group - Oct 2013 Tasting - Theme: Southern Hemisphere Reds (Amaroso Room - Wine Storage Bellevue): Shiraz – Barossa
Setting: Bottle “E” in the blind tasting. Notes were taken before I knew the wine identity.
Sight: This wine is bright; No evidence of gas or particles. Color is light purple at the core fading to garnet about 1/8” from the meniscus. Light concentration of color. Legs are thin and move quickly down the glass.
Nose: This wine does not smell flawed. medium intensity. Primary fruit aromas of blueberries and blackberries. The wine has secondary notes of menthol, with a hint of chocolate. Detectable oak on this wine, but it was unobtrusive. I picked up some heat on the nose.
Palate: This wine is medium bodied and a bit lush in the mouth, great mouthcoating. Primary fruit flavors of blackberries and some cherry; very fruit forward; a bit jammy even. Minimal secondary notes; maybe a hint of chocolate and spice. No detectable earth or minerals. Tannins and oak are well integrated, almost undetectable. You can taste the alcohol, but it doesn’t come across as high or excessive.
Structure: This wine is dry. Acid is low. Alcohol is medium to medium plus. Tannins are medium, but well integrated. Finish is medium. Complexity is low.
Conclusion: My guess is this is an Aussie Shiraz from a decent quality producer. The wine is fruit forward, but the well integrated tannins and color lead me to believe this wine has some age. The fruit and alcohol with low acid suggest this is a warmer than normal vintage.
Final thoughts: This was a nice bottle of wine. It had a great, lush mouthfeel, but it was fairly one dimensional. This wine was saying “I can really only give you one thing, but I do it pretty well.” Different flavor profile, but similar experience to the previous wine, the 2008 Cantena. The off balanced acid/fruit profile dropped this #3 for me. The rest of guys voted it #3 as well, but a pretty wide spread in the voting.
My Ranking: 3rd out of 6 bottles (Flawed bottle not included)
Group Ranking: 3rd out of 6 bottles (Flawed bottle not included)
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