One of the Barossa’s biggest and juiciest shirazes, Elderton’s Command Shiraz 1996, has won a trophy at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition as the Best Shiraz of the Show. This makes 2000 an excellent year for Elderton in the UK, since in May it had a successful time at the London International Wine Challenge, winning one gold, three silver and four bronze medals. The Brits showed some consistency, for it was the 1996 Command Shiraz that collected the gold at this show. It’s an extremely heavily oaked, smooth and plush red with massive depth of dark spicy raspberry and plum fruit. I rate the wine at 17.2/20 and suggest it will drink best between 2004-2008. Peter Lehmann’s excellent Reserve Eden Valley Riesling from 1993 did similarly well, picking up the trophy for the Best Riesling at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition, successfully defending the trophy it also won in 1998. For a detailed analysis of major wine show results and in-depth wine commentary, subscribe to Jeremy Oliver’s OnWine Report using the link on the left of your screen.
