Even in a modern era of increasingly sceptical shoppers, gold medals and trophies on wine bottles sell products (although not always, as this paper examines). Today’s wine-on-the-desk is festooned in ’em too, with the Taylors Masterstroke Cabernet Shiraz 2018 adorned in shiny wine show awards from all over the planet. Yet, for all that silverware, this is a bit of a line in the sand wine. On the one hand, it’s not short on impact. Even now, at seven years old, it’s still very youthful, with just a little brick dust to show for the bottle age, and no sign of the palate falling over. However, it’s also every bit a show-friendly caricature wine, with most of the flavour delivered in a coffeed, caramel oak-driven, firm and slightly alcoholic punch. Reserved and approachable its not, to the point when this could be from a different era (like the new oak friendly world of 2008) than 2025. Yet every time I try wines like this I have to remind myself that it’s a style that is still hugely popular – while I might get distracted by oak tannins, shedloads of people will love that richness and palate weight, and Taylors happily cultivates drinkers after such a mode. What’s even more interesting is that, if you dig deeper, there’s a savoury, not OTT, slightly minty Clare Cab blend shell sitting underneath it all, even if it comes cloaked in a whole lot of artifice and excess Impact. Ultimately, it’s a wine that I couldn’t drink, but I admire it because of its place in the world (with a silver medal). Would you drink it?
- Best drinking: good now, good in two decades
- Score (out of 20): 17.5
- Score (out of 100): 91
- Alcohol %: 14
- RRP (in $AUD): 60
- Winery website: https://www.taylorswines.com.au/
- Would I buy it?: no, but others will
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