South Australian family winery Taylors Wines of Clare Valley showcased its new release Taylors Family Flagship Wines at a stunning experiential event in Melbourne where guests were immersed in a sensory landscape of sights, sounds and flavours.
The 2023 edition of the Family Flagship Release includes nine new wines representing four vintage releases across Taylors’ St Andrews and Masterstroke ranges, as well as the highly anticipated 2016 vintages of The Pioneer Shiraz, The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon and the family’s pinnacle release Cabernet blend, The Legacy.
Guests tasted the 2016 vintage releases guided by chief winemaker Adam Eggins and third-generation winemaker and managing director Mitchell Taylor while digital art inspired by vines and grapes splashed across the walls and floors and DJs curated sounds to complete the immersive experience.
Since its founding in 1969, Taylors has built a strong reputation for crafting a range of award-winning wines. For over half a century, Taylors has refined its expertise, embraced sustainable and cutting-edge innovations in viticulture and winemaking practices, and emboldened its winemaking team to test the boundaries in crafting the finest wines they can. The greatness of these wines is a testament to the passion and determination of the Taylors’ winemaking team.
Eggins explained to his audience how he and his team set out to explore what it meant to be the best wine in the world. In a search for the meaning of excellence in wine, they poured over thousands of tasting notes from wines recognised as the best to determine common characteristics.
“The words that kept coming up were seamless, supple, silky and delicate,” revealed Eggins.
If these four characteristics define wine at its best then the pinnacle of Taylors’ portfolio has certainly achieved that goal. There is no doubt these irresistible and desirable characteristics are all present in the three 2016 vintage wines helped along by the 2016 vintage in the Clare Valley being lauded as one of the best. Conditions were close to perfect and produced outstanding fruit.
“The vines were stress-free heading into winter, conditions were ideal during flowering, and there was no frost – the ‘perfect storm’ for a truly outstanding vintage, particularly for our Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines,” said Taylor.
The Pioneer 2016 Shiraz was lusciously fruit-forward and subtle with a beautiful mid-palate, great acid structure and length.
The Visionary 2016 was an exceptionally elegant wine that was drinking beautifully. Its round perfectly balanced palate and delicate elegance won it the Best Cabernet in the World at the Concours des Cabernets in France. The French judges in classic Gallic style reported back that it ‘should have been French.”
The third vintage release of The Legacy 2016, the old-world-inspired Cabernet blend crafted to celebrate the family’s 50th anniversary in 2019 is priced at $1,000 per bottle, with only 1,080 bottles made. The Legacy is a truly stunning wine that exemplifies Chief Winemaker Adam Eggins’ ability to blend exceptional parcels of fruit to craft a complete wine of power and texture, elegance and subtlety.
The heart and soul of The Legacy’s barrel program was maturation in Jean Louis Vicard barrels – a selection by the Cooperage of their finest 36-month-old, fine-grained and lightly toasted barrels. The wine enjoyed 36 months’ maturation in a cool, temperature-controlled cellar, allowing the oak to impart powerful savoury characters and textural richness.
“The Legacy represents an enduring family journey that honours our history and sets a benchmark for generations to come,” Taylor said.
“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate the second annual release of our Family Flagship wines. These wines best represent my grandfather’s vision when he established our family winery in the late 1960s. Our philosophy has always been to honour the remarkable fruit produced by our vineyards and the established grower partners we work with. I’m honoured to present this stunning collection of wines on behalf of the Taylor family,” Mitchell Taylor said.
