2017 Taylors The Legacy Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley

The wine has bold, lifted varietal aromas of cassis, mint, ripe black cherry, roast coffee beans and subtle aniseed. French oak maturation is evident with characters of cedar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cigar box adding to the wine’s overall allure.

The wine has a long and generous palate with fleshy, concentrated varietal flavours. The palate delivers the elegance and interest that the aroma promises. It displays classic Cabernet Sauvignon varietal structure, a mouth filling front palate and long, elegant tannins to finish. The Merlot adds suppleness and roundness to the mid palate, while the Cabernet Franc adds varietal intensity of mint and brooding, dark berry fruit notes. The wine has black cherry and cassis fruit characters throughout with well integrated fine grained French oak nuances of cedar and tobacco. The wine also has a savoury edge running throughout the palate. The finish is long and persistent which continues to tantalise the taste buds well after the wine is gone.

The wine had a wonderful life in premium French oak barrels, starting with eight weeks on skins post-fermentation. The heart and soul of The Legacy’s barrel program was maturation in Jean Louis Vicard barrels -a selection by the Cooperage of their finest 36-month-old barrels, fine-grained and lightly toasted. The wine enjoyed 36 months’ maturation in a cool, temperature-controlled cellar, allowing the oak to impart powerful savourycharacters and textural richness.

In the Clare Valley, rainfall was below average for the season, but it was not the amount that had the biggest impact; it was the timing. Mother Nature saw fit to dole out just the right amount of water at just the right time for maximum positive impact on the vine’s health and importantly, the quality of the fruit produced. In fact, this was just one of the factors at play when it comes to the vintage being lauded as one of the greats. Firstly, the vines were ‘stress free’ heading into the winter period, creating the potential for a superior crop. Secondly, conditions were ideal during flowering and then lastly, the threat of frost did not eventuate. All these conditions combined to create what called be described as ‘the perfect storm’ for an excellent vintage.

Up to 20 years from vintage. If enjoyed in its youth, decanting is recommended.