Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2016

It’s the Caley’s fifth birthday. Well not quite, but the fifth vintage has just hit a handful of shelves around the country.

The Caley was always an ambitious project. Yalumba used to have The Reserve, which was discontinued after the 2006 vintage. The wines were always delicious, by the way, even from more challenging vintages. The team at Yalumba then waited for the right fruit to come around so they could have a crack at making a great Aussie wine blend – cabernet and shiraz together in harmony – a wine that would match up to revered wines such as Penfolds Bin 60A. It took six years and the first Caley was born out of the 2012 vintage. Like any inaugural vintage it was a first step, although the wine again is still delicious. Long and silky with cedar, choc-mint fruits, it is beautifully subtle and will drink well for at least another decade.

Over the next four vintages The Caley has clearly evolved. It has always had a heart of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, but I reckon the making of this wine has actually been around the more confident use of shiraz, particularly from Eden Valley, that has added a savoury and more serious counterpoint to the bright purity of high quality Coonawarra fruit.

This wine seems a little more closed and youthful on release than previous vintages with a real nod to high quality Bordeaux. It’s gently expressive right now as opposed to putting all of its cards on the table. There is also a deep, chewy cabernet sauvignon structure built for the long haul. Slowly though, over a couple of hours, the fruit starts to emerge – a beautiful array of violets, cassis and cedar – pretty and detailed but also with great power. Tannins are fine but firm, and, with oak, support a finish of immense length. The finish is superb but the balance is probably its most impressive element. I think with this vintage the Caley is really starting to hit its stride with that classic combination of confidence, power and balance seen in the great wines of the world.