Yalumba
Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery. Founded by Samuel Smith, Yalumba has been making fine wine in the heart of the Barossa for six generations, championing the iconic varieties of Shiraz and Grenache, and the great Australian blend of Cabernet and Shiraz.
“Yalumba is one of Australia’s most admired and respected family-owned wineries…With a multi-generational family stewardship, a stunning Barossa estate and an enviable record of some of our countries most iconic wines, it is a winery that is deeply woven into the tapestry of the Barossa and the Australian fine wine offering.”
Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“…One of Australia’s oldest, largest and most prestigious family owned companies…Some of the region’s finest vineyards are owned or contracted by this company.”
Lisa Perrotti Brown, Rob Parker Wine Advocate
“As Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba is acutely aware of its place on the world stage. Respected for providing generous wines of superb value, it now strives to attain higher peaks of excellence with a range of elite varietal examples and exceptional blends.”
David Sly, Decanter
Sunday, July 19th
Yalumba
Hosted by Sam Wigan, Head of Winemaking at Yalumba
Masterclass: 4–6pm | 11 wines and Kate Lamont nibbles | $95
Dinner: 6.30–9.30pm | 11 wines and 3 courses | $195
About Yalumba
Founded in 1849, Yalumba is a fiercely independent family-owned winery nestled in the heart of the Barossa.
Yalumba Started with the planting of vines in 1849, by founder Samuel Smith. Under the moonlight, in the heart of the Barossa, he set in place not just the first of many generations of vines, but a philosophy that still holds true today. A genuine respect for the land and a willingness to venture into the unknown.
We have always had a deep connection to the Barossa. Our long-term vision is manifested in our marble and sandstone Clocktower; a solid monument to our commitment to the region. Our Yalumba Cooperage also shows this passion. It is where we continue the proud tradition of crafting oak barrels and it is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz is a distinctly Australian winemaking practice, producing striking reds that cannot be replicated in France, Germany or Italy due to strict controls around regional blending. Since the 1800s we have been one of the most dedicated pioneers of this method. The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz is a prime example. A coming together of The Great Australian Red, and our core philosophy. With no set formula, we have embraced the magnificent unknown to create a unique and surprising vintage since 1961.
We have always strived to innovate and reduce our impact on the environment. We have the largest solar system in any Australian winery. We have won 43 accolades for our sustainable practices over the years, including the International Award of Excellence for Sustainable Wine Growing & the International Green Apple Gold Award. We want to make sure that future generations will continue to make great wine with minimal intervention, for many decades to come.
Yalumba.com
The Wine List & Menu
First bracket
2024 Ringbolt Chardonnay
Medium pale lemon. Attractive fresh fruit and vibrancy. Peach ice tea, subtle brown spice, roast cashew paste, sweet oak vanilla bean, lemon leaf, crushed white flowers and a touch of saline. Mid weight, with good balance and tension between the fruit and the oak before a stone fruit and saline finish with juicy acidity. Serious holiday vibes.
93 Points, Regan Drew, Vinonotebook, 04 Sep 2025
2023 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier
Yalumba’s wizardry with Viognier is declared most profoundly in the coolest seasons, of which 2023 is one of the finest since its vines were planted in 1980. I love its cool energy and elegant restraint, and yet its confidence in projecting inimitable varietal identity in apricot kernel, ginger and pink grapefruit. Texturally, this is a marvel, at once zesty and vibrant and at the same time mesmerisingly silky, slippery and succulent, concluding with the perfect clip of impeccably polished phenolic tension. Go long on this one.
96 Points, Tyson Stelzer, WBM, May/Jun 2025
Expressive but so finely focused and precise, nothing blown out of proportion, no mean feat with this persnickety variety. Tautly stretched citrus fruits with a whiff of apricot kernel and hints of white flowers, crushed stone, almond meal, white flowers, some distant marzipan and clover blossom. Stony-pure on the palate with a lovely bright mineral cadence and a dry, enduring finish.
96 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, May 2025
Second Bracket
2022 Ringbolt MR Cabernet
Top Gold & 96 Points: Royal Adelaide Wine Show
Gold & 95 Points - James Halliday Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge 2025
Gold & 95 Points - Margaret River Wine Show 2025
With the challenges of the ‘21 vintage behind it, this excellent value for money Margaret River Cabernet from the subregion of Wilyabrup is right back in form. It was a very good vintage for red wine and this one, which displays excellent structure and balance is a terrific example. Rich black fruits and a dollop of chocolate with that slightly saline minerality and subtle black olive adding complex nuances. One of the very best I have tasted in this line.
94 Points, Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot, 05 May 2025
2023 The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 FDR 1A Cabernet Shiraz
The FDR in this wine’s name stands for ‘Fine Dry Red’. If it were me, I’d call it ‘ALC’, or ‘Aussie Luncheon Claret’, but I guess that’s why I’m not in marketing. Eden Valley fruit for this classic Australian blend and it’s a deeply coloured, deeply fruited and perfectly poised wine that shows pristine black fruit characters, layers of spice, licorice, earth and a roasting meat tone. There is a very impressive density to its fruit without becoming overblown or suffering loss of clarity, and the tannins melt into the wine as it rumbles off into the distance, all latent power and opulent fruit. Lovely stuff.
95 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, 06 Jul 2023
2022 Yalumba The Menzies Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
When I say that this 2022 vintage is one of the greatest to date, I hope you pay heed because not only is the fruit pristine and drenched in toothsome Terra Rossa minerality, it is gleamingly attractive already with a seamless chassis, minutes-long finish and perfectly controlled oak detail. The second and third sips change, as this wine opens, and the fruit shows faintly salty, spicy, and bloody highlights. Carnal hints come and go, and the layers of flora and fauna arrive and recede. It makes for a riveting experience, yet the exterior remains seamless, elegant and polished.
19+/20 Points, Matthew Jukes, Jan 2026
This is seriously good. It’s svelte, elegant, powerful and incredibly lengthy. It tastes of boysenberry, pink marshmallows, blackcurrant and bay leaves, with tobacco and mint notes both studded within and lifting away. The combination of grace and potency are really quite something here. Given the over-inflated nature of wine in general, the asking price of this particular wine, even though higher than in years previous, makes this something of a steal. In any case this is a ripping cabernet.
96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, Dec 2025
Third Bracket
2024 Yalumba The Tri-Centenary Grenache
The 2024 The Tri-Centenary Grenache is superb. Stylistically, it sits somewhere between the spicy, pressed incense notes of the 2023 and the silky suppleness of the 2022. This wine spent 373 days on the skins. 14.4% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
96 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Sep 2025
Pale crimson in colour, this is a wine with gorgeous aromas. We have spices and herbs, strawberries and raspberries, juicy bay leaf notes, a flick of orange rind and hints of kirsch. There is a touch of sappiness and the wine is fresh and energetic with a fine line of acidity running the length. Stunning stuff, which will drink beautifully for at least the next ten to twelve years, longer if required. Surely this is one of the best Tri-Centenary’s they’ve ever made.
97 Points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot, Feb 2026
2023 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz
This is the darkest Lord in the Dynasty of The Signature. It glares at you from the glass, challenging you to approach, inch by inch and dare to take a sip. It requires commitment and a fair slug of bravery. You must punch into this wine, like a cliff-diver, because that’s the level of fearlessness needed, and when you do, you will plunge into an extraordinarily indulgent abyss of flesh and fruit. This is not a regular Sig, per se, but a swelling riff on the eternal Yalumba love affair with Cabernet and Shiraz.
19+/20 Points, Matthew Jukes, Jan 2026
This is a cracking release, one of their best. An opaque centre with a dark maroon rim, there is still vanillin oak evident on the nose, but it is integrating well. The aromas include notes of dried herbs, black fruits, graphite, licorice, mocha, chocolate, plums and cassis. This is balanced, youthful, offering real persistence and coiled power. The palate sees the move to gorgeous chocolate notes. A wine with serious length, there is much to love here.
96 Points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot, Feb 2026
Opaque core leading into a deep purple rim. Blackberry, tobacco leaf, graphite and violets leap from the glass. Wonderful density of black and blue fruits creates a base upon which layers of savoury complexity are built. Graphite and tobacco leaf sit at the fore, then notes of cedar and anise shine through. Wrapped in firm but well integrated tannins that provide ample tension and drive, ensuring a long finish that is focused and precise. Many years ahead of this wine.
96 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review, Dec 2025
2019 Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz
This 2019 is a thunderously successful wine with the most detailed and resonant fruit I have tasted under this label. It is such a relief for this once-outlier in the Yalumba portfolio to finally join the rest of the mind-blowing reds. In 2019, Octavius finally arrived, and it will thrill all-comers.
19+/20 Points, Matthew Jukes, Oct 2024
The tannins here are still silky, but younger and more muscular at five years old, with the fruit clearly sweeter and more dense. Think raspberry and blackberry pastille, still with the through-line of balsamic and liquorice, and here a slab of black chocolate, rosemary and olive pit, with a tar and campfire smoke twist on the finish. Delicious now, but will reward ageing and then some.
97 Points, Jane Anson, janeanson.com, Sep 2024
Ink black core, deep ruby and purple tones into the rim. Heady nose of ripe mulberry, ironstone, anise and cedar shavings. The palate fills with plush blue and purple fruits, an instant realisation that many elements are in play, all melded with a seamless purity that impresses. Savoury notes of ferrous minerals, dark spices and mocha all build this wine up whilst fine, gravelly tannins ensure that intensity translates to a driven and incredibly long palate. This is just a pup but so approachable in its texture, will build even more as it ages.
97 Points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review, Aug 2024
2021 Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz
This is not only the greatest wine to ever emerge from the hallowed halls of Yalumba, it is categorically the finest exemplar of the great Australian blend of the modern era, and the equal of the greatest in history. Kevin KG Glastonbury’s relentless fanaticism has fused Coonawarra cabernet with Barossa shiraz (26%) to perfection. 2021 embraces this profound legacy and takes it further to establish an all-new benchmark. It elevates this distinguished label by effortlessly contrasting greater depth of black fruits, higher lift of violet fragrance, more energetic, cool season acidity and more profound confidence of tannins that are at once finer and more velvety and yet somehow stronger, more rigid and more enduring, the pinnacle of KG’s life work.
100 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Jan 2026. Drink: 2041 to 2071
There is so much class here, it is extraordinary. But there is a looming sense of disquiet about this 74% Coonawarra wine, because it has an x-factor that transports into an otherworldly plane that is simply jaw-dropping. It soars, mythical, half-human, half-deity, and it holds back more than it gives, and then releases unfathomable mysteries when you momentarily switch off. It is, in short, epic. 2021 is the most recent to eclipse the inaugural 2012 The Caley, and I am thrilled to bring it to your attention.
20+/20 Points, Matthew Jukes, Jan 2026
It is a superstar. Gleaming blood red/maroon, the nose reveals notes of bright cherries, tobacco leaves, spices, well integrated oak, plums, blackberries, aniseed, cassis and beefstock. It is subtle and seductive, generous and plush, offering a fine line of acidity in great length. There are silky tannins on the lingering finish. Superbly focused, this is surely the best Caley to come my way. Stonkingly good, if one wishes to get technical. Thirty years with ease.
99 Points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot, Feb 2026
It is a picture of elegance and fruit power in one package. There is a glass-staining deep crimson colour for starters. The fruit, seemingly reduced to an essence, is all blackberry, cassis, black cherry and dark plum. Hints of deep spice, blackforest cake, licorice, cedar, tobacco pouch, bouquet garni, black olive tapenade, pencil shavings, roast beef, earth, veal glace and dark chocolate. The tannins are powdery, layered and in perfect resolution, the oak sitting simpatico with the deep fruit, the finish stretching out for a considerable length of time. The best Caley release thus far for mine.
99 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, May 2025
2018 Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz
Good depth and hue of colour it’s still purple-tinted at this age. The bouquet is fresh and bold, replete with forest-floor/mint and dried-herb nuances, while the palate is very powerful, concentrated, full-bodied and firmly constructed. Deep-set cassis fruit as well, still partially in hiding. This is a dense, power-packed cabernet-driven red with abundant tannins. Tremendously long finish. A magnificent wine, which has what it takes to age and reward cellaring for the long term.
99 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Medium deep crimson. Very attractive cassis, dark plum, with marzipan, roasted chestnut notes, hints of aniseed. Generous pure blackcurrant, dark plum flavours, fine slinky textures, beautiful mid palate viscosity and integrated roasted chestnut. Tannins flow into a lacy plume at the finish. Beautifully balanced wine with all of the elements tucked in perfect symmetry. A classic modern South Australian Cabernet Shiraz with very good volume, density, complexity and torque. Should last a good 50 years, especially with its long high quality cork.
98+ Points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal