Tasting the world’s best Cabernet – a Wakefield Taylors Family Wines masterclass

When you dub a wine-tasting session, ‘Tasting the World’s Best Cabernet’, you’ve got a lot to live up to. But that was certainly the case recently as The Moodie Davitt Report joined the team at Wakefield Taylors Family Wines for an online tasting of three outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons from the Taylors and Wakefield labels.

These wines will be on show at the forthcoming Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo (12-16 October) in the Platinum Partner suite of Duty Free Global, which represents Wakefield by Taylors Family Wines in international duty free markets outside Australia.

And the ‘World’s Best Cabernet’ sobriquet? That belongs to an extraordinary Taylors wine called The Visionary 2014, an exceptional parcel release of 2014 Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which was awarded ‘World’s Best Cabernet’ at the Concours International des Cabernets (International Competition of Cabernets). The Visionary will be introduced to the global duty free market at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.

Taylors The Visonary 2014 took on the world and won in 2018 (click to enlarge)

In the good company of  Justin Taylor, Company Director and Asia Pacific Market Manager (and third-generation family winery member); Chris Davis, National Business Development Manager, Wakefield Wines; and Barry Geoghegan, Founder of Dublin-based Duty Free Global, The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie had the pleasure of sampling The Visionary and two other outstanding company wines.

They were Taylors Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 and Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, both also hailing from the group’s three-generation Clare Valley homeland in South Australia.

Another tough day at the office in The Moodie Davitt Interim Hong Kong Bureau

Here we present video highlights of the sessions and tasting notes of three fine wines. And we hear from Justin Taylor and Chris Davis on their aspirations for the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.

[To honour its 50th anniversary in 2019, the company released ‘The Legacy’, a wine that represents an enduring family journey that honours its past and sets a benchmark for future generations to come]

TAYLORS HERITAGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018

Region: Clare Valley

Winemaker’s notes

Colour: At release, deep red with a vibrant purple hue.

Nose: Aromas of rich blackcurrant, subtle spice, tomato leaf and a touch of eucalypt. French oak maturation is also evident with subtle aromas of cedar and dark chocolate.

Palate: This is a wine of great intensity. It has distinctive blackcurrant and cassis fruit flavours. Subtle oak characters of cedar cigar box and spice are also evident. The tannins are fine and elegant – a hallmark of the varietal. The palate is well balanced, complex and fulfilling and lingers on the finish. oak maturation The wine was matured for up to 12 months in French oak barrels (10% new and remaining

Martin Moodie comment: You just know you’re onto a good Cabernet as soon as you nose those lovely ripe blackcurrant aromas, the hallmark of the grape. There’s a hint of spice and a tantalising whiff of mint (that’s the eucalypt referred to earlier). On the palate, it’s got the inimitable Cabernet juiciness with a really nice mix of soft oak and elegant but not overbearing tannins. It’s very much a drink (and enjoy) now proposition but there’s plenty of staying power here too.

[‘The world’s most-awarded winery’ – Celebrating 50 years of fine winemaking 1969-2019]

WAKEFIELD ST ANDREWS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017

Region: Clare Valley

Winemaker’s notes

Colour: At release, the wine is an intense red colour with a vibrant purple hue to the edge.

Nose: The wine has an enticing, lifted aroma of ripe blackcurrants, choc mint, subtle spice and a hint of dried tomato leaf.  The overall nose character is one of richness and elegance.

Palate: On the palate it is a very well-balanced wine with ripe blackcurrant characters, along with chocolate and mint intermingling harmoniously with oak characters of cedar and subtle tobacco.  There is an understated power to the wine, with layers of complexity building across the palate and then finishing elegantly with long, fine tannins. It is a generous wine yet retains poise and the elegance of great Cabernet Sauvignon.

Martin Moodie comment: Oh the joy of a top-class straight Cabernet. I quote from my notes taken after the first sip: “A dark beauty of a wine. Rich, crammed with fruit but beautifully balanced with its softness complemented by an understated peppery spice. Powerful but elegant.”

This wine has got legs in every sense – in the glass and in terms of cellaring as it will age beautifully. Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon is only released in the finest vintages, which, despite a very wet winter preceding harvest, 2017 turned out to be thanks to favourable weather conditions during flowering.

I tried a second bottle (a tough job but you have to do your research) a few nights later with a sizzling rare Sirloin steak, the juiciness of the wine the perfect accompaniment to that of the meat. Bliss.

TAYLORS THE VISIONARY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014

Region: Clare Valley

Winemaker’s notes:

Colour: A dark garnet red with a vibrant vermilion hue.

Nose: Hints of wintergreen, dark cherry, black currants, dark plum, cassis, blueberries, mocha, cedar, cigar box and subtle choc mint.

Palate: The wine is rich, generous and multi-layered with understated elegance. Classic blackcurrant, dark cherry and varietal mint characters intertwine perfectly with the hallmark long, fine tannins on the palate. The finish is perfectly poised and boldly declares the stature of the wine, full of the potential for greatness.

Martin Moodie comment: There are good days and bad days in business – especially during a global pandemic. And then there are bloody marvellous ones when you get to taste a wine as great – and I don’t use the term lightly – as The Visionary as part of your daily job.

There is just so very, very much happening inside this bottle. It’s big and beautiful in its ripe blackcurrant and dark cherry character but while the fruit forward character whirls and dances in the glass, the fine tannins give it a complexity that finishes as long as the Clare Valley. With every sip you discover just a little more.

The wine is crafted from a painstaking barrel assessment (12 months in a selection of two and three year-old barrels) to identify ‘exceptional’ parcels. These were then returned to barrel for a further 8 months maturation prior to bottling in April 2017. You can cellar this for up to 20 years from vintage, but you might not be able to resist the temptation for anywhere near that long.

Talking Virtual Travel Retail Expo

What is the major focus for Wakefield by Taylors Family Wines at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo? Any particular lines, launches, campaigns or services that buyers should look out for?

Justin Taylor and Chris Davis: We’re excited to be showcasing one of the finest luxury red wine portfolios in the world and releasing Wakefield’s The Visionary 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon to our duty free customers – awarded ‘World’s Best Cabernet’ at the Concours International des Cabernets (International Competition of Cabernets).

Cabernet is the heart and soul of family business, and the very first variety the Taylor family planted on their estate back in 1969. The Visionary wine is a dedication to Bill Taylor Snr, and his vision to craft wines that would rival the world’s best.

In a market as challenging as today’s, how are you seeking to set yourself apart in such a competitive and diverse a category as wine?

 We are and will always be focussed on producing the best-quality wines in the world. It’s how we work together with our global partners to present these wines in duty free that sets us apart from our competitors.

Our focus is on creating an engaging consumer experience across a portfolio of price points. This can be seen in the way we tell our brand story through highly knowledgeable brand ambassadors and unique promotional fixtures that stand out in duty free retail.

Besides your obvious Australian domestic and duty free strength, what are your major targets by geography or channel?

As a leading still wine producer in Australia (we were number two in Sydney International Airport in 2019) we are now focussed on growing our luxury brand in southeast Asia.

How do you view the impact of COVID-19 on the wider industry and what dynamics do you think will drive the next stage in travel retail’s evolution?

The pandemic will accelerate the move to create a more seamless omnichannel experience for the consumer. Contactless ordering and home delivery will be the new normal, as well a mixture of clicks and mortar.

How do you think the channel can and should engage with travelling consumers, specifically in your category, to ensure a sustained recovery?

The channel will need to represent over and above value and experience to fully engage consumers in the future. Brand owners need to develop unique products and experiences to attract consumers to purchase. Airport retailers need to make the shopping experience as easy and safe as possible through utilising existing technology and developing new platforms and touch points.

Any thoughts on how industry partnerships will or should evolve as we enter a new era for travel and travel retail?

Now more than ever, the industry needs to work together – brand owners, airlines, operators, and airport landlords must collaborate to create the right shopping experience that is unrivalled in the domestic market.

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