x
  • Country ranking ?

    355
  • Producer ranking ?

    13
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Perfect with grilled meats

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The Story

Like the Command block, which is an amazing resource to the Elderton Estate, the Ashmead block has consistently produced small parcels of excellent quality fruit. The vineyard was almost destroyed in 1997 to make way for higher yielding vines, however the family made the decision to promote the vineyard to a higher destiny – thus the Ashmead. The 2013 is the fourteenth release of this unparalleled wine, and is a superior example of Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon aged in a mix of new French Oak Hogsheads from about 8 different coopers. The Elderton Estate is not unfamiliar with premium Cabernets, having won more than 8 trophies for this varietal including the 1993 Jimmy Watson Trophy.

The Elderton Vineyard, originally planted by Samuel Elderton Tolley in 1894, was planted predominantly with Shiraz; however in the early 1940s, Samuel decided to diversify and thus established some of the earliest planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the Barossa Valley.

 

There are two blocks on the property that we believe to be planted in the 1940s, and both of these offer an outstanding viticultural resource to Elderton. Year in, year out, they both manage to produce an outstanding quality (albeit very small) crop of densely coloured and richly flavoured grapes. Today, we believe them to be amongst some of the oldest plantings anywhere in the world.

Unfortunately, it is suffering greatly from the vine disease Eutypa (commonly known as dead arm), which has no known cure. As a result of this, yields are always naturally low; always less than a tonne an acre, and more often as low as half a tonne per acre.

In 1997 the family sat down to discuss the viability of the block, as it was questionable at best. However, the saving grace was simply the pure brilliance of the fruit. It was, and is, always the standout Cabernet block on the property. The decision was therefore taken to reward the excellence of the single sites from the 1998 vintage, with a single vineyard release, named the ‘Ashmead’. The concept was, and still is, to take all time and cost pressures out of winemaking. The Ashmead family wanted to show the world that Australia, the Barossa and certainly Elderton, can produce a world renowned and distinguished Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Vintage 2012

Lower-than-average yields in Australia, as across much of Europe. This was blamed on high winds, drought and low fruitfulness resulting from the poor 2011 vintage. Quality, however, was much better than in the exceptionally damp 2011, with South Australia avoiding some of the weather extremes experienced by other states. Strong varietal typicality is a commonly cited feature of the 2012 crop.

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Origin

Barossa Valley, South Australia
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