Wakefield Estate, Clare Valley, Australia

29 May 2009 9:33 am | Posted by siteadmin

Wakefield Estate is a leading family-owned winery established in 1969 in the Clare Valley region of Australia. Known as Taylors Wines, (unfortunately not any relation), they are one of the most highly regarded and awarded cool climate wine producers with the Wakefield brand being exported to Europe and the UK since 1985. Wakefield owns 400 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery, making this the largest single estate vineyard in Australia. The first Wakefield Estate wines were released over 30 years ago with the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 winning gold medals at every national wine show including the prestigious Montgomery Trophy at the Adelaide Wine Show. A  reputation was forged and continues today with vintages of the same wines winning medals at national and international shows every year. The range consistently delivers quality and appeal their classic fruit definition and enviable ability to age.

A recently released wine is a juicy medium bodied Pinot Noir from Adelaide Hills with fresh cherry flavours, spice and plum, lovely soft French oak gives some length to the finish. 

We have selected three wines from their newest Eighty Acres range. This  range was created to celebrate the heritage when in 1969 Bill Taylor first got his hands dirty planting vines on the traditional 80 acre blocks that make up the Taylor family vineyard, the first block was named “Eighty Acres”.   

Eighty Acres Chardonnay Viognier is a lovely wine, full of aromas of  apricot and spice with Clare Valley Chardonnay offering aromas of pineapple, peach, melon and citrus. The wine has a luscious, round mouthfilling palate, is medium to full bodied and a rich, almost creamy finish.

The Eighty Acres Cabernet Shiraz Merlot has a complex nose with aromas of blackcurrants, plum and mint with savoury characters of dried herbs, spice, cedar and chocolate adding to its charm. Rich in texture but with a soft, round mid palate with long elegant tannins and a velvety, persistent finish.

Our third wine is the Eighty Acres Shiraz Viognier with its overt lifted aroma of black berry fruits, plums, licorice and subtle apricots and underlying aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, violets and cedar adding to the complexity. A medium bodied wine,  rich and smooth with delicious juicy flavours which last well after the wine has finished.

Another new comer with a lifted, complex aroma of subtle white peach and nectarine combined with another layer of aromas of cream and cashew nuts from barrel fermentation is Jaraman Chardonnay.  A combination of  Clare Valley grapes giving richness and weight with fleshy stone fruit flavours and the elegance and length coming from grapes grown in Adelaide Hills. A clean crisp structure with great persistence.

I have always enjoyed the flavours from Coonawarra wines and Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine with the characteristic Coonawarra black olive/mint bouquet with a powerful, sweet and fleshy palate from the Clare Valley. a a superb richness of cedary oak and spice with blackcurrant, mint and dark chocolate characters on the nose.

 To help introduce our customers to the fine Clare Valley wines from Wakefield Estate, we have introduced a special offer which we hope you will find attractive and an incentive to try these superb Australian wines.

HAPPY WAKEFIELD DAYS

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