Elderton Wines | Barossa Valley
The vineyard that is today known as Elderton, which lies within the town boundaries of Nuriootpa, 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.
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 Valley has to offer.
Elderton’s viticultural and winemaking philosophy is one that is shared by all of the great wineries around the world. The old saying that great wine is made in the vineyard is one that also holds very true at Elderton. A team approach to ensure best practice in both the vineyards and winery is key to guarantee absolute quality in the bottle. Attention to detail in pruning, picking and winemaking, and using a combination of state of the art facilities and machinery, with some tried and true traditional techniques, ensures that the wines of Elderton will always show great brightness, purity and quality.
The goal of the Ashmead family is to produce world class wines from entrenched varieties, grown in the Barossa from their own vineyard holdings. They celebrate the individual terroirs of each of their sites and aim to produce wines that show true regional history and character, varietal definition and a healthy slice of their own personalities.