Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2021

100 Points, Tyson Stelzer - "This is not only the greatest wine to ever emerge from the hallowed halls of Yalumba, it is categorically the finest exemplar of the great Australian blend of the modern era, and the equal of the greatest in history. Kevin KG Glastonbury’s relentless fanaticism has fused Coonawarra cabernet with Barossa shiraz (26%) to perfection, and I use this word very deliberately. While I was not alive at the time to have the privilege of tasting it in its youth, it has perhaps not been since Max Schubert’s legendary 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A that this union has been mastered with such breathtaking harmony. Since its inaugural release a decade ago, The Caley has set the standard for refinement in cabernet shiraz, reincarnating the Coonawarra/Barossa blends of Yalumba of a half-century ago to become the first wine to win Matthew Jukes and my The Great Australian Red competition four times with three vintages, each of which I scored 98-99 points. 2021 embraces this profound legacy and takes it further to establish an all-new benchmark. It elevates this distinguished label by effortlessly contrasting greater depth of black fruits, higher lift of violet fragrance, more energetic, cool season acidity and more profound confidence of tannins that are at once finer and more velvety and yet somehow stronger, more rigid and more enduring - the pinnacle of KG’s life work. I have bestowed a perfect score on an Australian table wine only once in the past decade, and The Caley 2021 is every bit deserving. Be sure to be first in line when it is unleashed on 1 May 2026."

The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey of excellence, that rightfully honours one of Yalumba’s most adventurous sons. A blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Barossa Shiraz, The Caley is a classic marriage of two noble varieties and two great Australian wine regions.

Very deep and dense red in colour. Stunningly inviting perfume of blackcurrants, rose petals, iodine, violets, fine spices, dried herbs and cedary tones. This truly epitomises the distinct character of Coonawarra and the unique essence of The Caley. Shiraz fruit merges with Cabernet Sauvignon delivering a long, silken and seamless palate with a fine, powdery tannin profile.

The Ming D block in the Yalumba Coonawarra vineyard provides the 74% Cabernet Sauvignon of this blend. This 2.7 ha plot was planted in 1992 with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon selected for structure and depth of flavour. The Caley’s 26% Shiraz component was sourced from two Barossa blocks. The first is “Barty’s block” in the Bartholomaeus family vineyard, located on the southern edge of Eden Valley township. This old Shiraz block is of unknown clones and was planted in 1920. The second is Simon Cowham’s old Shiraz block. Located in the foothills of the ranges near Light Pass, this old block of 0.72 ha was planted in 1955.