Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2022

The Signature, always a tribute to a deserving contributor to Yalumba and/or the Australian wine industry, is probably Yalumba’s best known wine. The 2022, a superb vintage, is in honour of Paul Midolo, who is their Executive Director of Sales for Australia and New Zealand. As always, made by Kevin Glastonbury, himself the recipient of the 2019 Signature. The blend, all Barossa, is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz. The vines average 52 years of age and the wine spent a year and a half maturing in a mix of new Hungarian oak hogsheads, French barriques and hogsheads (21%), with the remainder in older barriques and hogsheads, both Hungarian and French (for those wondering, Yalumba are one of the few wineries remaining in the world to have their own cooper; hence, such innovative oak treatment is not beyond them). Under cork. A very dark maroon, the nose is all about chocolate and mocha notes, aniseed, black cherries, smoked meats, blackberries, bay leaves, bacon fat and cloves. Rather silky on the palate, there is good oak integration proceeding well. There is good balance, bright acidity and impressive length. This release has perhaps a touch more elegance than some from the past, and it is all the better for it. An excellent Signature from a superb vintage, still youthful, this has at least ten to fifteen years ahead of it.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic