We were greeted warmly at Taylors Wines, Clare Valley – sold in the UK as Wakefield – with a magnificent line-up of wines from the premium St Andrew’s range. A young 2015 Riesling and a fully developed 2007 with honey, mushroom and flinty notes and deep mid gold colour; a very ripe, tropical Chardonnay 2104; the wonderful Shiraz 2012 and the beautifully knit-together 2006; and finally two Cabernets, the young and tannic 2010 and the finished article from 2006.  

The 2012 Shiraz is so weighted down by its medals it can hardly stand up!  

At this time of year, a dry late-January, the Clare vineyards are beautiful but in desperate need of some rain.  

Winemaking details 

Riesling: picked mechanically at night for freshness; 100% whole berry; pressed; free-run juice and 3-hour press cycle kept separately, the free-run becomes the top-quality wine with very low phenolics; fermented with selected German yeast to build some complexity and palate texture; long 21-day fermentation at low temperature, 12º C, to retain aromatics; tanks then topped up and sulphites added to avoid oxidation; naturally settled or fined as required; no lees ageing as fruit purity is the aim; cold and heat stabilised; bottled after 5 months.  

Shiraz: crushed directly into hogsheads; add DAP yeast nutrient as required; add some tannins after bench testing; innoculate with selected yeasts; ferment at 28º C for 5-6 days; adjusts pH when at 2º Baume; then top up casks and seal with silicon for maceration phase of 2-3 weeks with skins submerged when the temperature drops to cellar 20º C; aged in 100% new American oak barrels for 18-24 months; fine with egg whites to remove high molecular phenolics for that super smooth velvety texture.  Bottle age according to taste.  

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