Elderton Barossa Command Shiraz 1998

Date: 17th February 2006
Venue: Kam Bo Seafood Restaurant, Ap Lei Chau, Aberdeen

I have tried different vintages of Elderton Command Shiraz and they are always characterized by super rich fruit. Colour of the 1998 was dark purple, bordering on black, completely opaque. This bottle was opened without decanting at the restaurant, an inexpensive low-keyed seafood restaurant in a grass-root area. Customers parked their cars by the roadside. On the photo, you can see the headlights of the Pagani Zonda on the right, the Maserati MC12 in the middle, and my outgunned Boxster S on the left. Back to the wine - nose was great right from the start, perfumed, ripe plum, oak and chocolate aromas tantalized the olfactories. Palate was full with flavours of coffee, chocolate, plum and vanilla. Velvety smooth tannins with an exceptional finish.

This wine's potential was not fully realized because decanter and proper wine goblets were not available. It will improve with further cellaring and I look forward to trying this vintage again in 5 or 6 years time, if I can resist the temptation to drink up my stock in the next few months.

Rating: excellent