Barossa reds: make memories with Elderton shiraz and Peter Lehmann Mentor cabernet
A glorious Elderton shiraz heads up The Australian Wine Club’s special Barossa reds offer, which includes a 95-point Peter Lehmann Mentor described by the Halliday Wine Companion as ‘truly great’.
“You couldn’t repeat this story in wine today – it just wouldn’t happen,’’ says Allister Ashmead, co-managing director of the Barossa Valley’s iconic Elderton Wines.
A glorious Elderton shiraz this week heads up The Australian Wine Club’s special Barossa reds offer, which also includes a 95-point Peter Lehmann Mentor cabernet described by the Halliday Wine Companion as “truly great”.
But before we get to the wines, let’s tell the Elderton story: Allister and his brother, Cameron, were just kids when their parents, Neil and Lorraine, returned from working in Saudi Arabia in 1981 to raise their family in the countryside.
Neil and Lorraine had grown up in country Victoria but Lorraine’s father had learned of a homestead for sale at Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley.
The real estate game was a little slower back then and to get Neil and Lorraine over the line, the property agent threw in as a bonus a derelict shiraz and cabernet vineyard next door to the homestead.
“There was a grape glut and this vineyard had been effectively abandoned and probably wasn’t thought to be worth much,’’ Allister says.
The 72-acre vineyard was actually a rare piece of Barossa viticultural heritage, containing prized ancestor shiraz vines planted in 1894, as well as cabernet vines planted in the 1940s. It had been owned from 1916 by brandy king Samuel Elderton Tolley, who gave the estate its name, but in the years after his death in the 1960s the vineyard fell into disrepair.
Neil, a civil engineer, and Lorraine, a midwife, knew very little about viticulture but decided to repair the vineyard as a weekend hobby and before long established their own Elderton label in 1982.
Times were tough but just over a decade later their patience paid off, when the 1992 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon won Australia’s prestigious Jimmy Watson for best one- or two-year-old red.
But tragedy was to follow, when Neil died suddenly only a few years later. A devastated Lorraine held the fort for several years until the boys, having attended university and proven themselves in business elsewhere, returned and assumed the role of co-managing directors in the early 2000s.
Neil and Lorraine’s persistence in restoring the old shiraz vineyard paid off in 2000 when the 1996 Elderton Command Shiraz – made from those 1894 ancestor vines – won the trophy for Best Shiraz in the World at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition.
Today, Elderton is well and truly established as one of the Barossa’s pinnacle wineries and the family’s estate includes exceptional old vine vineyards at Greenock, and at Craneford and Mengler Hill in Eden Valley. Both the boys are fathers of three children and their wives are heavily involved in the business: Cameron’s partner, Julie, is head of production, while Allister’s Rebecca is production and export manager.
“It’s a remarkable lifestyle but there’s a lot of blood, sweat and some tears too,’’ Allister says. “You try to build a legacy for your children and grandchildren.
“At the heart of it, you’re wanting to create lovely memories for people – proposing to your girlfriend over a special bottle; enjoying a glass of Elderton at Christmas – that’s what this is about.”
Elderton East Wing Barossa Shiraz 2020
Classic, generous Barossa Valley shiraz. Lifted aromas of ripe plums and toasty vanilla lead to silky-soft fruit flavours of dark cherries, mulberries, liquorice and dark chocolate. Described by Wine Spectator as a modern classic. Exceptional value. 15% alc. RRP $44.
SPECIALS $23.99 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
Peter Lehmann Mentor Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
The full spectrum of varietal characters on display: cassis, blackcurrant, capsicum, tobacco, coffee bean and cedar. Structured palate with dense black and blue fruit flavours and hints of mint and wild black olive. A “truly great Mentor”, wrote Tyson Stelzer in Halliday Wine Companion, awarding 95 points. 14.5% RRP $45 a bottle.
SPECIALS $39.99 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
Kilikanoon Testament Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020
Opulent and voluptuous, with mouth-filling waves of blackberry, cherry, vanilla and spice, balanced by hints of olive tapenade savouriness and well-integrated oak. Awarded Double Gold at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Competition last year. 14.5% alc. RRP $45 a bottle.
SPECIALS $24.99 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
Chateau Tanunda Grand Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A lavishly rich and grand Barossa Cabernet from “the birthplace of the Barossa”, as Château Tanunda has been described. Enticing blackcurrant, blackberry and vanilla aromas; vibrant, dark berry fruit flavours drive to a long finish. Value plus. Gold at Berliner Wine Trophy. 93 points from Wine Showcase magazine. 14.5% RRP $25 a bottle.
SPECIALS $21.25 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
RedHeads Princess of Thieves 2020
From vines of up to 65 years in age, this grenache shiraz mataro blend entices with strawberry and cherry-chocolate aromas, followed by anise and gentle spice. Generous plum and cherry flavours fill out the palate, with hints of black pepper and spicy richness. 94 points and top in category, Winestate Magazine. 14.5% alc; RRP $35 a bottle.
SPECIALS $26.99 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
Irvine Spring Hill Barossa Shiraz 2020
From another great name in Barossa wine. Blackberry nougat, cherry, mild chocolate and
ground nutmeg aromas lead to a velvety palate, with a fresh line of natural acid driving to a long finish. Over-delivers in every way. Gold medallist. 14.5% RRP $25 a bottle.
SPECIALS $18.99 a bottle in any dozen; $21.99 in Barossa reds dozen.
BAROSSA REDS DOZEN Two bottles of each wine above for $21.99 a bottle. SAVE $174 for a dozen.
Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
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