In a first for Elderton in the Barossa, they have sold a complete collection of Command Shiraz directly sold to a NSW-based private collector.
The collection includes 35 vintages of Command Shiraz from the first vintage in 1984 to the current release 2021 vintage.
“This is a collection of such importance to our family,” second generation owner Allister Ashmead says.
“It showcases the legacy started by Mum and Dad over 43 years ago, and will continue to build a wine collection of remarkable provenance.”
Command Shiraz is produced from a block planted in 1894 by the Scholz family on the banks of the North Para River in Nuriootpa.
The 1996 Command won World Best Shiraz at the 2000 International Wine & Spirits Competition in London.
The 1984, 1994, 1995 and 2006 vintages are no longer offered for sale from the winery due to limited stocks.
“For many vintages, particularly the 1990s, we have less than 12 bottles in our museum,” Cameron Ashmead says.
“For most vintages between 2000 and 2008 we have less than 60 bottles in our museum.
“In December 2012 we undertook a museum wine tasting, to ensure only quality bottles from our early vintages remained in the museum.
“Our winemaker at the time, Richard Langford, along with Allister and myself, tasted all the bottles we had of the 1984-1990 Command Shiraz.
“If the wines were no longer viable, we poured them out!
“The bottles that passed our taste testing were recorked during the process to ensure their continuing integrity.”
The private collector has also purchased a collection from another Barossa winery.
That collection features Izway Bruce Shiraz, noted as the most iconic and personally significant wine produced by Izway Wines since 2003.
Photo: Cameron and Alister Ashmead with the Command Shiraz collection (Dragan Radocaj).
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