The next generations Australia’s First Families of Wine have just wound up their “Unlocked” event in Perth which looked to be a great gathering of the “kids” of some of the most well respected wineries in Australia. Mitchell Taylor, head of Taylor’s Wines, is of the slightly older generation and currently Chairman of AFFW. No doubting their dedication to making great wines. Here’s a look at the bread and butter of one of the AFFW’s, Taylor’s Estate “white label.”

Taylors Estate, Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills/Clare Valley, 2014

A blend of two regions, with some wild yeast and some inoculated. 10% new French barrel fermentation, 20% 1 year old and the rest 2 and 3 year old oak. Ripe buttery peach and smoky toasty caramel. Lemon biscuit and wildly aromatic waxy lanolin.

The palate more miserly than the nose: with tight linear cool climate fruit driving along a narrow escarpment until a rounding a corner and seeing through the windscreen a blossom of ripe stone fruit, smooth cuddly oak treatment. This falling away to good phenolic extract and just bittersweet grapefruit. A little bit of old school/new school. Like Run DMC covering Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

RRP: $19

Alc: 13%

Wine samples courtesy of Taylor’s Wines and Liquid Ideas