The wines of Wakefield/Taylors, Clare Valley, Australia

Adam Eggins, winemaker

This is quite a large (400 000 cases) winery in Australia’s Clare Valley, which goes by two names. In Australia, it is Taylors. But on export markets it’s called Wakefield, because a $5 jug wine of Constellation’s in the USA called Taylors, and because of Taylors the Port house.

There are three ranges. The Promised Land wines are the entry level, sourced from Clare as much as possible but supplemented by fruit from elsewhere in South Australia. The regular Wakefield Estate wines are impressive and affordable. Then there’s the high end St Andrews range, which is very high quality.

I tasted these wines with winemaker Adam Eggins (pictured), who is a technically adept, innovative sort of guy.

Wakefield Promised Land Semillon/Sauvignon 2006 South Australia
Ripe, open and fruity with nice weight. Quite generous. 83/100

Wakefield Promised Land Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 South Australia
Open and fruity with a subtled honey edge. Generous and full. 85/100

Wakefield Promised Land Cabernet Merlot 2006 South Australia
Nicely bright and fruity.

Wakefield Estate Riesling 2006 Clare, Australia
Quite bright, but there’s a nice honeyed richness. Spicy and fresh with a generous palate. 88/100

Wakefield Estate Riesling 2007 Clare, Australia
Very bright limey nose is fresh and full. The palate is precise, fresh and limey. Dry. 89/100

Wakefield Estate Chardonnay 2005 Clare, Australia
Serious nutty, toasty nose. The palate is complex and full with nice nuttiness. Very refined, this is a lovely Chardonnay. 92/100

Wakefield Estate Chardonnay 2006 Clare, Australia
Fresh, butty and bright with a complex toasty nose. The palate is fresh and bright with nice savoury complexity. 91/100

Wakefield Estate Merlot 2005 Clare, Australia
Fresh, blackcurranty nose with some rich red fruits. The palate is soft and rounded. 88/100

Wakefield Estate Merlot 2006 Clare, Australia
Bright and vibrant with lots of fruit. The palate is soft and sweetly fruited with nice balance. 89/100

Wakefield Estate Shiraz 2005 Clare, Australia
Generous, ripe, spicy and intense with lovely rich ripe fruit. Accessible and rich with nice spiciness. 89/100

Wakefield Estate Shiraz 2006 Clare, Australia
Just a dribble of Viognier in here. Sweet, ripe, lush and exotic nose is forward and aromatic. The palate shows sweet fruit and a warm, rich midpalate. A lush, forward, sweetly fruited style. 89/100

Wakefield St Andrews Riesling 2001 Clare, Australia
Complex, tight, limey and fresh with some honeyed evolution. Palate is bright, quite dry and savoury with an almost spicy character. 92/100

Wakefield St Andrews Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2001 Clare, Australia
Very rich, rounded and nutty with a lovely sweet, ripe, apricotty nose. The palate is bold and soft, with ripe fruit and lots of richness. Fantastic stuff. 93/100

Wakefield St Andrews Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2002 Clare, Australia
Rich, nutty, intense nose. The palate is concentrated and bold with rounded, nutty fruit. Rich and generous. 91/100

Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Clare, Australia
A tough year in the Clare. Soft, rich, and a bit evolved but with lovely class and elegance. Finishes earthy and spicy. 91/100

Wakefield St Andrews Shiraz 2002 Clare, Australia
Spicy, tarry, forward nose with some soft oak evident as well as a bit of mint. The palate is broad and soft with a tarry edge. Soft, rich and evolving. 90/100

Wines tasted 09/07

Notes from an earlier tasting:

Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon 2004  
Bold, sweet blackcurrant fruit nose. Fresh and very blackcurranty on the palate. Nice purity here. 90/100 10/06

Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Very deep colour. Complex, pure bold blackcurrant fruit dominates here: a lovely expressive wine. Really good. 91/100  10/06

Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Evolved, cedary, earthy spicy blackcurrant nose. Softening a bit on the palate, this has great concentration and good complexity. Nice purity here: this wine is ripe but balanced. 93/100 10/06

Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Complex, expressive wine, showing earthy, minerally blackcurrant fruit. Evolved and drinking very well now. Delicious. 92/100 10/06

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
See also: My Clare Valley series

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