The Signature 2021 1.5L Magnum

Adequate late-winter and spring rains followed by dry conditions provided a great balance between crop and canopy after two years of minuscule yields. A mild to warm summer with cool nights produced balanced, aromatic reds, with excellent varietal definition. The grapes were harvested March 2-20. 53% Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Shiraz (39% from the Barossa Valley, 8% from Eden Valley). 19 Months in 23% new Hungarian hogsheads and French barriques and hogsheads, with the balance in older French and Hungarian barriques and hogsheads. ABV 14.5%, TA 6.06g/l, pH 3.63, SO2 87mg/l. The 50th release of this, the epitome of the Great Australian Red, is seamlessly crafted and beautifully nuanced. Rich and deep in hue and flavor, with blackcurrant/cassis, succulent black-cherry and blueberry fruit, and complexing garrigue, licorice, black-pepper, and cigar-box nuances. A sheaf of fine, layered tannins and harmonious rolling acidity make for a lingering, flavorsome palate. Eminently broachable now, but The Signature has an excellent track record for aging. 2024-40+.

This wine could easily be in the running for one of the best 2021 wines from the region. Deep in colour with stunning purity across the spectrum of blackberry, black cherry and dark plum fruits. Fragrant with citrus and almond blossom notes, aniseed, cedar, new leather, tobacco, panforte, bay leaf, wood spice and Christmas cake. Sporting a stunning fruit density and tension, it glides, thick with fine, billowing tannin, with a pitch-perfect cadence across the palate, lacy acidity playing its part in focusing the wine's intrinsic elements with aplomb. Pure, vital and beautifully composed. It's sure to be a classic.

This edition of Yalumba Signature is named in honour of Chris Gerhardy, Packaging & Development Manager. I could be wrong but my reading of the back label has it that Chris has worked at Yalumba ever since he left school (at 15) and started working the bottling line in 1972. Chris’ dad Colin also worked at Yalumba, for no less than 49 years, and was also a “signatory”. That’s pretty incredible. This release is full-bodied, ripe, sweetened with oak and to an extent, old school. And yet the balance of it, and the way the fruit keeps pushing on through the finish, and the slippery-smoothness of the texture, and the way cabernet threads dust and leaf characters through bold, mouth filling blackcurrant and plum – well, let’s just say that it has a lot going for it. It’s a beautiful Australian red blend, blessed with beautiful fruit, beautiful fine-grained tannin and noteworthy length.

Deep ruby red into purple at the rim. Blackberry and mulberry, cedar and woody spice aromatics lift from the glass. A plush palate, loaded with perfectly ripe berry fruits at the fore. Spice, cedar and coffee all sit underneath, a melange of savoury pleasure that builds as the wine carries along the tongue. There isn’t a hair out of place, everything is exactly where it is supposed to be and it is that harmony that lifts and almost lightens it. But don’t be fooled, this is brimming with intensity and focus. A delight to drink now and will reward many years into the future.

The expression of Cabernet in the Barossa's coolest seasons is something to behold, and Yalumba has captured this with particular fragrance and textbook varietal definition in the stunning 2021 vintage, putting forth a benchmark Signature of beautifully refined tannins promise grand longevity. One of the greats in the distinguished lineage of The Signature.