Masterstroke: Regional Discovery and Winemaking Artistry
Exploring South Australia's Wine Regions
Mitchell Taylor once declared, “Winemaking is a true art form, each bottle an expression of a region and vineyard site”.
And our Masterstroke range celebrates this.
But at Taylors, every wine we craft is born from an original masterstroke: a decision that changed the course of Australian winemaking. Mitchell’s grandfather, Bill Taylor Snr had extraordinary vision and recognised the potential to craft wines from Australia that rivalled the best in the world. His son Bill turned that vision into reality and forged a pioneering path for the local wine industry. In doing so he also instilled in our winemaking a fundamental understanding: that Australia’s regional diversity is an unending source of discovery and inspiration.
With the Masterstroke wines we demonstrate our passion for regional discovery and winemaking artistry with a range that offers the ultimate expressions of varietal character, and champions the diverse regional terroir where each variety shines.
South Australia is home to 18 wine regions, is renowned for producing many of the best wines of Australia and is a member of the prestigious group of Great Wine Capitals of The World.
Here, we explore three iconic South Australian wine regions that have been the inspiration behind the first three Masterstroke releases.
The Clare Valley
The Clare Valley summers are warm to hot and the winters are cool to downright cold, which is also when most rain falls. Chilly nights and afternoon breezes from the nearby gulf mean that even though it’s a warm-climate, the plummeting night time temperatures keep things cool for the grapes, which is important for fine wine flavour and tannin development. The 2016 vintage in the Clare Valley was one of the greatest of the last decade. From the harvest, we identified some incredible parcels of the two iconic varieties; standouts from our own estate vineyard blocks coupled with some from our best grower partner selections. The thought occurred to us that we should bring them together. To craft the perfect Australian red blend.
A masterstroke decision really.
The challenge to unite the powerful grace of Cabernet Sauvignon with the sumptuous generosity of Shiraz and at the same time, have the wine convey its origin was embraced. This level of blending required a deft touch. A willingness to seek greater perfection beyond what was already apparent in the individual parcels.
We believe we have accomplished that with the 2016 Masterstroke Cabernet Shiraz.
McLaren Vale
Just south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is one of the oldest Australian wine regions and is home to over 100 wineries. The region enjoys warm summers and mild winters. The altitude is low but cooling breezes from the slopes of nearby Mount Lofty and the Gulf of St Vincent add to the climatic variety across the region, making each vineyard site unique.
Our enduring ties to The Vale began almost two decades ago as we first began to explore beyond our home in the Clare Valley and discovered the magic of the region’s Mediterranean climate.
The fruit sourced for the 2019 Masterstroke Shiraz is the product of a long term partnership and collaboration with a local grower.
The vineyard, located in a protected gully towards the southernmost end of the region delivers Shiraz that typifies the magic of the Mediterranean climate; warm and welcoming. Much like the locals. Our challenge is to honour the fruit of our partner’s labours. And so we’ve crafted a wine that is densely packed with rich, ripe flavours and indulgent in its sumptuous generosity.
We believe we have embraced the spirit of McLaren Vale in this new release.
Coonawarra
Known as South Australia’s red centre, Coonawarra is a relatively flat region famous for its loam over limestone soils – known as terra rossa - and the majestic eucalypt trees that dominate the landscape. The summers are dry and moderate although the nights are chilly, and winter can be bracingly cold. Consistent cloud cover contributes to the cooler temperatures overall.
The fruit sourced for the 2019 Masterstroke Cabernet Sauvignon is the product of decade’s long term partnership and collaboration.
Our grower partner vineyard is nestled amongst the majestic eucalypts and is well protected from the hustle and bustle of the region’s main thoroughfare. The terroir is profoundly reflected in the fruit; deep, dark flavours accentuated in a delicate, almost ethereal nature by herbaceous mint. This bounty of flavour allows our artisan winemakers to craft an intensely elegant wine with piercing concentration and brooding power.
This wine continues our family’s tribute to a classically noble variety.
Masterstroke Artistic Magic
Aside from the beautiful liquid in the bottle, each Masterstroke label will showcase an artistic depiction of the region that is the source of the wine. The first vintage releases feature extraordinarily striking images courtesy of award winning professional landscape photographer from South Australia, Ben Goode.
The Taylor family are now excited to share their regional exploration journey and winemaking artistry with you through these new release Masterstroke wines.