Yalumba The Caley Cabernet & Shiraz 1500ml 2021

99 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

It might be suspicion only but one feels that our venerable old Barossa producer, Yalumba, may have felt that, as impressive as its portfolio of wines is, the world did not see them having a release which challenged the Granges and the Hills of Grace and a surprising number of new releases at ridiculously high and arguably undeserved prices. Enter this wine, although it still sits well below how others when we start talking cost, but then that is only to its advantage. They opted for the great Aussie red blend to take it away from the usual single variety rock stars. It is also a blend of regions with the Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra and the Shiraz from the Barossa. There have been some absolutely superb releases of this wine over the years but for me, none better than this 2021. It is a superstar. Under cork. Gleaming blood red/maroon, the nose reveals notes of bright cherries, tobacco leaves, spices, well integrated oak, plums, blackberries, aniseed, cassis and beef stock. It is subtle and seductive, generous and plush, offering a fine line of acidity in great length. There are silky tannins on the lingering finish. Superbly focused, this is surely the best Caley to come my way (and I have seen them all). Stonkingly good, if one wishes to get technical. Thirty years with ease.

97 POINTS

Tom Kline - Winepilot

Elegant and restrained, showing class from the outset. Dusty cedar, cassis and blood plum open before unfurling into tilled earth, graphite and gravel. Further air adds bay leaf, mulch, black pepper, cocoa powder, dark cherry and blackberry. It’s brimming with precise, layered complexity. The palate is suave and assured, gliding through with elegance, restraint and brilliant intensity. Never weighty, with black fruits intermingling with earth and spice complexity once more. Cocoa powder–coated, tight-grained tannins put up a lovely, elegant frame. The acidity is like lightning, shooting through the finish with vim and vigour to great length. Balance and complexity here will see this wine age beautifully. A powerful, serious release.

97 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Yalumba The Caley, at its best, is a magnificent wine. Of course it’s pretty much always, every release, at its best – here. There was no release of The Caley from either the 2017 or 2020 vintages. The power of the palate, the length of the finish, and the long curls of tannin are the hallmarks of greatness here. And yet what really excited me about this release was the hit of garrigue-like herb notes, combined with saltbush itself, combined with black olive tapandade. This wine is not just a tidal wave of sweet fruit; far from it. It’s a cabernet-shiraz blend but it comes across, really, as a great cabernet, all authority, all inky fruit, all tannin and all fragrance. The integration of fruit and oak is a masterclass, as is the deep creek of tannin. In the style of a great Australian red, this wine is as good as anything.