Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz, Coonawarra / Barossa

Description

Yalumba The Caley is one of the estate’s flagship wines, a super premium classic Australian Cabernet / Shiraz blend. It is a blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Barossa Shiraz, a classic marriage of two noble varieties from two great Australian wine regions. The Caley honours  Fred Caley Smith, grandson of Yalumba’s founder Samuel Smith. Fred was a horticulturist who had a profound impact on the development of Yalumba’s orchards and vineyards.

Yalumba wines can trace their history back six generations to 1949 when English brewer, Samuel Smith and his son Sidney first planted vineyard’s in his newly purchased 30-acre (120,000 m²) block of land near settlement of Angaston. It was name Yalumba after an indigenous Australian word for “all the land around”. Today Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery and is run by proprietor Robert Hill-Smith.

The grapes for Yalumba Caley are sourced from three blocks of vines. 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 from the Burgemeister “Linke” block planted in 1901 at Light Pass. The second block is the Horseshoe Vineyard on the southern side of the Yalumba winery in Eden Valley. Planted by Helen Hill-Smith in 1971, this block follows the contours around the Fred Caley Smith Hut. After vinification the wine is matured for 21 months in 46% new French barriques, balance in 2 year and older French barriques.

The 2015 Yalumba Caley is only the 4th ever vintage released.

Yalumba is part of Australian wine alliance Australia’s First Families of Wine.