The 2017 Command Single Vineyard Shiraz spent 30 months in new American and French oak. From a parcel of the estate vineyard in Nuriootpa planted in 1894, it's broad and generous on the full-bodied palate, practically oozing generosity and richness. Plums, blackberries, vanilla and cedar all come together in a sexy whirl of velvety-textured hedonism that may prove too much for some tasters while completely turning others on. RP
There's elegance and grace within its form. Velvety smooth satsuma plum and blackforest fruits, layers of spice. Well-integrated French and American oak, shoyu, dark chocolate, roasting meats, cedar, tobacco leaf and earth. Cascading, powdery tannins provide ample support and the long finish features ripe plum, roast meat and chocolate tones as it slowly fades away. It'll certainly cellar like a champion, but it is approachable and very enjoyable even now. JH
$ 528
Elderton Barossa Command Shiraz 2020
RP
95
JH
96
JS
93
Smoky beef bouillon accents, brimming with umami, cloves, blue fruits and peat. Full-bodied, generously oaked and slick, considering the challenging hot year. The tannins are a bit smoky and not as refined as Command can offer, but a very good wine, bolshy and forceful and built for the cellar all the same. JS