2024 Elderton Ashmead Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich and sumptuous yet underlyingly robust with a powerful and generously endowed finish.

Matured in French oak for 18 months. Pitch black dark red core with a dark red black tinged hue. Elevated blackcurrant and liquorice aromas mix with cigar box, black olive, earth and spice notes. Rich and sumptuous yet possessing an underlyingly robust structure, the medium to full bodied palate is flooded with blackcurrant and liquorice fruits. Subtlety smoked vanillin cedar, tobacco, earth and spicy mint elements sit in the background. Sturdy tannins impart mild grip across the powerful and generously endowed finish.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14%

Other Reviews……
An elegant, fruit-pure, single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon from the Elderton estate in Nuriootpa, matured for 18 months in new and seasoned French oak. Deep crimson with aromas of blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry and blackcurrant over hints of five-spice, some distant blackcurrant pastille, cedar, dark chocolate, dried tobacco, vanillin oak, licorice, crushed herbs and roasting meats. Full bodied yet finely structured with wonderfully pure, slender black fruits, fine-grained tannins and a long draw of flavour on the finish. No problem tucking this one away in the cellar for an extended period. Drink by 2046.
95+ Points
Dave Brookes - James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

Estate-grown at the Nuriootpa vineyard, the fruit is sourced from a single block planted around 1944. Deep alluvial silt over red and brown earth and limestone near the banks of the North Para River allows the vines to develop deep roots, so they need minimal irrigation. As a later-ripening variety, Cabernet Sauvignon often avoids the challenging weather conditions that can affect earlier varieties during budburst and flowering. In 2024, the 80-year-old vines produced a balanced crop, naturally moderated by their low vigor. Mild seasonal conditions required careful management throughout ripening, though significant rainfall did not arrive until after harvest. After hand-picking, the destemmed fruit spent one week in open fermenters with gentle cap management prior to pressing. The wine was then matured in new French oak hogsheads from trusted coopers, selected to support fruit expression and build structure while keeping oak influence restrained.
The 2024 Ashmead Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon leads with bay leaf, cassis and sweet pouch tobacco. There are notes too of shaved fennel, star anise and licorice, with gently minty, menthol-like notes that contribute freshness to the wine. The tannins are structural and silky, offering a supple framework to the fruit, which is balanced and long on the finish. The oak leaves a tiny pinch through the finish, but given this wine's capacity for graceful aging, one would expect it to soften in time. This is an excellent wine from a marvelous vintage. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2026-2044.
95 Points
Erin Larkin – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

Another brilliant wine from the outstanding 2024 Barossa vintage. This is a stylish and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon that shows how well the variety can perform in excellent years. It comes from very old vines — in fact, the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the estate. The aromatics are a classic blackcurrant and blackberry blend, with a faint leafy bay leaf character and a touch of black olive. The palate is seamlessly woven, with fine tannins and oak framing what is quite sumptuous fruit. The oak integration is spot on, and while it will clearly age well, it is already drinking beautifully. Drink 2026-2046.
96 points
Ray Jordan – WinePilot.com