Taylors Wines were awarded medals at the 2019 Sommeliers Choice Awards for six different wines. The St. Andrews range for the varietal 2016 Shiraz and 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded Gold. From the same range, both the 2017 Chardonnay and the 2018 Riesling were awarded Silver. From the Jaraman range, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon took away Gold and the 2017 Shiraz took away Silver. These wines showcase the skill and dedication of the winemakers’ to their philosophy of 'respect the fruit'.

St. Andrews:

The St. Andrews range is named after the historic property which was first established in 1892. A true reflection of the terroir, St. Andrews wines exemplify the very best of handcrafted Clare Valley winemaking. In 1999 the first St. Andrews wines from Taylors were released. These wines are particularly special with fruit sourced from the best blocks on the estate and only crafted in the best vintages. The modern version of St. Andrews has a heritage that spans almost two decades. Over this time, the wines have developed a well-deserved reputation - not only as benchmark Clare Valley styles but also standing tall amongst the best from Australia.

The reds are true to the classic Australian style of rich, bold wines that are intense in both flavour and texture. While the whites offer a degree of elegance and refinement that is not often found outside of the old world.

The Shiraz 2016 is enormously flavoursome with rich fruit characters of black cherry, plum and ripe berries. American oak adds nuances of vanilla, cigar box, coffee and toast.

The Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is complex and elegant, offering rich fruit characters of cassis and blackcurrant with earthy nuances. It is French oaked which gives hints of cedar and tobacco to finish.

The Chardonnay 2017 has a silky texture with exceptional length and flavours of peach, nectarine and subtle cashew nuances from quality French oak.

Jaraman

With the Jaraman range, the fruit for these wines is sourced from the celebrated Australian wine regions that are renowned for the particular variety that showcase their distinctive regional characteristics and style. These wines offer interest and complexity along with delightful rich fruit characters. They are crafted with care to ensure their unique origins are showcased to the fullest.

The generous ripe fruit flavours of the Clare Valley are well balanced in the Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 which has elegant and fine tannins with a lifted mint character and velvety finish of the Coonawarra.

Experience the luscious elegance of the Clare Valley fruit that marries superbly with the slightly peppery fruit from McLaren Vale in the Shiraz 2017.

Here’s what Mitchell Taylor, Managing Director and Winemaker had to say about the win: “It’s a huge honour to be recognised with not one, but three, gold medals at this year’s Sommeliers Choice Awards. In the highly competitive world of on-premise wines, only the best can be considered as best in class by the qualified judging panel of sommeliers and wine buyers. It’s also incredible to see the breadth of Australian wines taking home a coveted medal. Proof that buyers in this space are taking note of our country’s diverse styles and versatility in the dining space.”

As a family owned wine company, for three generations Wakefield/Taylors Wines have crafted great Australian wines in the Clare Valley, South Australia, which is operating in both rural and urban settings for over 40 years. With a clear understanding that green is as important as red and white, they’re committed to ensure that they operate in a responsible and sustainable manner. The valley is richly rewarded with dramatic rolling vistas painted with rows of sun-soaked vines, untouched historic towns and of course superb wines. 

The goal of the Sommelier Choice Awards, organized by the Beverage Trade Network is simple - to provide on-premise buyers and sommeliers a valuable benchmark for understanding which wines would make a compelling addition to a wine list. The judging panel of Sommeliers Choice Awards consists of top sommeliers, on-premise wine buyers, and wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. Medals are awarded to those wines that meet very specific judging criteria, with a goal of identifying wines that should become additions to the restaurant wine lists and other factors like Typicity, Pricing, Quality, and Package.

To check out other winners, click here.

To know more about the competition, click here.