The vineyard that is today known as Elderton, was first planted in 1894 by early German settlers, the Scholz family. In 1916, it was purchased by Samuel Elderton Tolley who built himself a sprawling homestead on the Estate and sold the fruit to his family's winery.
In 1975, the descendants of Mr Tolley decided to place the vineyard on the market. Due to the very tough times that the Barossa was enduring, there was no interest in the property from local growers or wineries and it remained on the market becoming more derelict annually.
"If you buy the house, I will give you the surrounding 72 acres of old vines for nothing". This was the proposal offered to Lorraine and Neil Ashmead in 1979. The rambling old homestead looked ideal for a growing family and the Ashmead's worked tirelessly to salvage and restore a phenomenal treasure of a vineyard.
In 1982 Elderton began producing wines from the Estate. Tough times prevailed, but ultimately the vision of the founders shone through and Elderton is today celebrated as a major reason for the rejuvenation of the Barossa. At present, brothers Cameron and Allister (second generation) work with the Estate vineyard in Nuriootpa and have also purchased other exceptional vineyards in Craneford and Greenock. Their aim is to showcase the absolute best that the Barossa has to offer.
Wine & Spirits 91 The Ashmead family farms three shiraz parcels in Barossa, including their home vineyard in Nuriootpa, most of the vines dating to the
Wine Advocate 91 "Deep garnet-purple, the 2013 Estate Shiraz is a 100% estate-grown Shiraz made with fruit from 15- to 116-year-old vines. The nose opens to
Robert Parker 97 "Elderton's flagship is the single vineyard Command Shiraz, a wine with serious aging potential, and one with which all other South Australia Shiraz
Wine Advocate 92+ "Deep garnet-purple colored and just gorgeous on the nose, with intense floral and black fruit notes plus some menthol and dusty earth nuances,
James Halliday 92 "Bright garnet; quite a highly perfumed floral bouquet with an attractive element of blueberry and just a pinch of spice; medium-bodied and full
Robert Parker 95 "A stunning effort, the 2002 Shiraz Command exhibits an inky/blue/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of camphor, blueberries, blackberries, acacia flowers,
Robert Parker 91 "The 2006 Shiraz Nuriootpa was sourced from 60-year-old vines. Deep crimson-colored, it has an already multifaceted perfume of smoke, black pepper, bacon, and
Robert Parker 98 "The 2004 Shiraz “Command” comes from a single block of 104-year-old vines. It was aged in 100% new oak puncheons (400 liter barrels).
Wine Spectator 95 TOP 100 2008 "Rich, focused and superbly concentrated to show off its intense, rosemary-accented black cherry, plum and blueberry flavors, riding smoothly on
Robert Parker 91 "The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Nuriootpa exhibits an enticing nose of cedar, spice box, black currant, and blackberry. Layered on the palate, it has
"The fruit for Elderton Shiraz was traditionally sourced from the Elderton vineyard situated on the banks of the North Para River, Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South
The fruit for Elderton Shiraz is sourced mainly from the Elderton Vineyard situated on the banks of the North Para River, Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South
End of item list
