By Andy Young
Yalumba has launched its $350 Cabernet Shiraz blend, The Caley, which contains fruit from Coonawarra and Barossa and pays tribute to Fred Caley Smith, the grandson of Yalumba’s founder.
Robert Hill-Smith said that The Caley was a symbol of Yalumba’s perseverance and patience and that it could yet become the company’s ultimate achievement.
“The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey seeking excellence – a ‘super-claret’ that rightfully honours one of Yalumba’s most adventurous sons,” Hill-Smith said.
“It is the result of an unwavering commitment by Yalumba to Australia’s own unique red wine style – Cabernet and Shiraz – from the Galway Clarets of the 1940s, through the Signature and FDR 1A that started in the 60s and 70s and The Reserve that was created in the 1990s.
“I see it as a symbol of Yalumba’s perseverance and patience – an acknowledgment of the importance of time in crafting great wine.”
He added: “The Caley brings together the linear elegance, firm tannins and persistent acid structure of Coonawarra Cabernet with the voluptuous, textural richness of Barossa Shiraz.
“I felt that given our long history in the making of this quirky blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, a Coonawarra-Barossa creation may yet become our ultimate achievement.”
The Caley was matured for 22 months in a mix of 31 per cent new French barriques and hogsheads, 22 per cent one-year old French barriques and the balance in older French barriques and hogsheads. The barrels were all made and seasoned at the Yalumba Cooperage. After bottling, the wine was cellared for a further 36 months before its release.