Elderton Command Shiraz 2019

The winter preceding the 2018 vintage delivered sufficient rainfall to set up the vines for a healthy growing season. There was very little rain to interfere with ripening and this also allowed us to make all picking decisions based purely on fruit profile. From the river we see a gradual increase in clay content across the rows which corresponds with a decrease in vigour over the block. For this reason we harvest the block in several batches aiming to achieve the perfect balance in each batch. We harvested the 2018 Command Shiraz over three weeks from 7 - 22 March, bringing a little fruit in earlier with a tight acid line and the last fruit to come in with a deeper, more plush palate weight to balance. We used a combination of heading boards and standard open fermentation combined with a small amount of barrel fermentation to create the Command blend. Post pressing our Command batches were transferred to a combination of new French and American oak from coopers we know and trust. Here the wine went through malolactic fermentation and further ageing to allow the powerful fruit to come together with the tannin profile present in the fruit and oak. - Jules and Brock