By Fergal Gleeson

With the release of Taylors Wines St Andrews and Masterstroke ranges, I caught up with Managing Director and third generation winemaker, Mitchell Taylor.

Early Days

While Mitchell remembers his first day working in the winery during school holidays (for the princely wage of 40c), he had ideas other than working in the family business and after university moved to London and worked in stockbroking.

The stock market crash in 1987 led to a reappraisal and he returned to Taylors Wines.

“We’ve really stepped it up,” Michell says reflecting on the changes they’ve made over his 30+ years in the business. Taylors didn’t make white wine or export then.

Today, you can buy Taylors Wines in over 30 countries and Taylors are “now the third largest wine brand behind Jacobs Creek and Penfolds,” Mitchell tells me.

A feature of Taylors Wines is that their labels, at most prices points, are adorned with wine show medals from Australian and International wine shows. Few manage volume and wine show success like Taylors.

“The secret is the beauty of the Clare Valley and being in tune with your site.” Mitchell’s grandfather Bill Taylor Senior, wanted to emulate Bordeaux and made the largest planting of Cabernet in Clare.

While studying Oenology, Mitchell remembers some of his peers commented that Taylors was ‘an average wine company’. It inspired him to lift the bar.

Advice from Australian wine writers James Halliday and Len Evans further fine- tuned his palate.

“We were blending some of our best fruit into big volumes which is fine, but to reflect the quality and terroir of your region you need to let your fruit stand along with special wines from vineyards of distinction,” he says.

St Andrews

St Andrews was a historic property established by Scottish migrants in 1892. It was one of Clare’s leading wineries until 1934 when it ceased operations. When the property became available for sale in the mid ‘90s, the Taylors purchased the site and rejuvenated the vineyards.

The plan was to showcase the best of Clare Valley winemaking. The new releases of St Andrews comprise a Riesling (a ’24 and aged release 2020), Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet.

Mitchell describes the Clare style as expressed in St Andrews as “bright wines that sit in the mid -palate with a lovely textural and velvety style. In reds, it’s a balance of elegance, fullness and silkiness. In whites, it’s all about the aromatic lime characteristics.”

The Masterstroke Series

The Masterstroke series sees Taylors source Shiraz and Cabernet from other South Australian regions. Initially Mitchell bought some grapes from Tom Simmons at Jamieson Run in Coonawarra and blended it with Clare Valley fruit seeing it as collaboration rather than competition between the regions.

“The Jaraman and Masterstroke wines give us the flexibility as winemakers to explore the best of all SA great wine regions,” Mitchell says.

The Future

Australian wine has been through a tough few years with the shutdown of the lucrative Chinese wine market due to high tariffs on Australian wine and a reduction in wine consumption in Australia.

However, tariffs have now been lifted and Mitchell is excited about reengaging with their Chinese customers. Taylors have partnered with Jebsen Wines & Spirits who have been trading in Hong Kong and China since 1895 and know the market intimately. Mitchell also notes that they are a like-minded family business.

Mitchell’s son Hugh has just completed his first vintage (the fourth generation of the Taylors family) which is a proud moment. 

Taylors Wines recently launched The Aromantiques, a range targeting young drinkers with an approachable everyday style of bright, unoaked wines in a bottle that looks like it might house a gin or vodka. “The whole industry needs to focus on engaging the next generation of consumers of wine,” Mitchell says.

That mix of tradition and innovation has been the key to Taylors Wines ongoing success.

Top Picks

Taylors Wines St Andrews Riesling 2020 $45

The museum release 2020 Riesling has lime aromas and is showing some evolution of colour. The extra ageing has allowed the fruit power to grow depth and balance the acid found in young Clare Rieslings. Winner of a plethora of gold medals at wine shows. In a good place now but will evolve nicely to 2030.

Taylors Wines St Andrews Chardonnay 2022 RRP $45

Chardonnay production outpaced Shiraz in Australia this year as the nation’s most planted grape. It reflects a change in customer taste to whites and rose wines and the reinvention of the fortunes of the once maligned Australian Chardonnay.

Taylors St Andrews Chardonnay has beautiful aromatics. It’s a fine example of modern Australian Chardonnay- medium bodied, with white peach, nectarine, lime and oatmeal flavours. Nicely balanced and refreshing without overdoing the acid.

Taylors Masterstroke Cabernet Shiraz 2018 RRP $60

Cabernet and Shiraz are considered the quintessential Australian red blend. And Taylors Masterstroke 2018 is a fine example of the style and a showcase of a traditional full bodied Clare Valley red. Lashings of oak compliment the ripe fruit, tannins are super smooth and velvety.

It is enormously likeable and has cleaned up at wine shows. The decision to release it 6 years from vintage is a bonus for drinkers as the bottle aged complexity adds extra interest.

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