"Do you come from a land down under? Where women glow and men plunder…"

I was supposed to take part in a Taste Live event a couple of weeks ago, but what with FedEx’s indefatigable determination to spend the rest of its pitiful existence cock blocking me (in a manner of speaking) and such, the bottles for the tasting didn’t arrive in time. I’d apologize to Elderton (whose wines we were supposed to discuss) but in the immortal words of George W. Bush, “it wasn’t my fault.”  The wines, when I eventually tasted them, were a breath of fresh air as far as Australian wines and my palate are concerned, so they’re getting their 15 minutes here, now…better late than never (the also-immortal words of my husband).

Elderton Wines sits in the heart of south Australia’s Barossa Valley, a wine region with residents like Jacob’s Creek, Yalumba, Penfolds and Peter Lehmann. And though it’s certainly a source for what are considered to be Australia’s best, the generally hot climate of the Valley tends to produce grapes that ripen very easily. That means high levels of sugars and low levels of acids, so many winemakers practice acidification in order to balance the wines. The high sugars result in high alcohol levels that are sometimes offset by practices like reverse osmosis, but are more often left in place, creating wines that top off at about 15.5%. Historically, winemakers in the Barossa also use very short maceration periods and rack them into oak barrels before fermentation is even completed. That can leave a seemingly smoother wine, but it often has to have extra tannins added in. And the extensive use of oak (American in particular) is also characteristic of the region, sometimes overly so. All this is to say that many Barossa wines are flabby, overoaked messes (and often enological Frankensteins) that leave you with a hefty buzz after a couple of glasses.

Elderton’s wines had none of the above—a pleasant surprise for a doubtful drinker. Their 2006 “Tantalus” shiraz/cab blend (about $15) only had a short stay in old American oak, thus not trampling over the beautiful notes of plum and cherry. It had a great smokiness to it, but most impressive was its balance, and its 14% alcohol was really kept in check—no overpowering mess here. THIS is what Barossa wines in this price range should aspire to. Period.

The shipment also included a bottle of Elderton’s 2005 “Command”, their single vineyard shiraz (about $85). It’s a big, dark, opulent, brooding wine with absolutely no baked, jammy flavors. Decanting is pretty much a given for this chunk of a wine, but again, the “chunkiness” is balanced with beautiful acidity. Once it blows off a little, it reveals itself to be a masterfully crafted wine, though laying it down for a few years would certainly serve it well, too, especially since the cost prohibits making it your “Tuesday Night” house wine.

And you’d think I’d be most impressed by “Command” but I wasn’t. The wine that most impressed me was Elderton’s 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay (about $15), not because it was the best wine of the bunch, but because it was a lovely, untethered chardonnay in a region where chardonnay often gets oaked to hell, and is subjected to malolactic fermentation which usually produces a big, full-bodied, creamy mess. This harkened back to a nice, everyday Chablis, with hints of tropical fruit and crisp acidity. Full, but lithe. An Australian chardonnay that you could, in fact, drink at room temperature…happily.

Tagged as: Barossa Valley, Elderton Wines