YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON / SHIRAZ 2016

The Signature is Yalumba’s most famous wine, first released in 1962 and a blend of Barossa Cabernet and Shiraz. Undoubtedly age-worthy for many more years, this also has an approachability with super-smooth chocolate-berry vanillin oak, Christmas cake fruits and spices, a hint of smokiness and a sense of solidness on the palate. This is the kind of wine you need to have on hand to serve when you want to impress and you can have the confidence it will last in a good cellar for well over a decade if you forgot about it. Stunning value for a wine of its quality.

Winery notes (2016 Vintage)
"Each vintage of The Signature is named in honour of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the culture and traditions of Yalumba. It is with great pleasure we present our 2016 vintage to Louisa Rose. Named Australian Winemaker of the Year in 2008 by Gourmet Traveller WINE, Louisa has built a reputation with white wine, especially Riesling and Viognier from our valued Eden Valley vineyards. She is a celebrated champion of these varietals across the wine world.

A very deep, dense, red in colour. Aromas of red currants, perfumed cedar and complex, savoury, dried herbs. This Cabernet Shiraz blend shows precise aromatics and is classically rich through the middle palate with exotic florals, cranberry complexity and dark chocolate. A full-bodied wine complemented with a long, flowing, precise tannin profile. A wine that truly reflects the generosity and refinement of the 2016 vintage. Very stylish.

The majority of the Cabernet Sauvignon components were sourced from four vineyards in the Barossa Valley. The diversity of our vineyard selection provides the rich, lifted Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and palate structure for which The Signature is renowned. The Shiraz components include plantings of varying vine age, the oldest were planted in 1925. Matured for 21 months in 28% new French barriques, Hungarian and American hogsheads, balance in older French, Hungarian and American barriques and hogsheads."

96/100 James Suckling (2016 Vintage)
"A very youthful vintage, this is taut and will age very well. Aromas of blackcurrants, tar, blackberries and baking spices lead to a palate that has such an intense, gently smoky thread with a succulent, juicy red-plum, berry and spice finish. Light espresso. Super long-aging Signature here. A blend of Barossa cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Try from 2024."

Reviews for the 2015 vintage below…

96/100 Campbell Mattinson, James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion (2015 Vintage)
"A seamless affair. Tobacco, blackcurrant, plum and malty oak sing in beautiful harmony, firm tannin singing from the same integrated songbook. Mint and dried herb notes make qualified contributions too. It doesn't have a lot of spunk, but it puts not a foot wrong. Drink by 2036."

5 Stars & 95/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review, May 2019 (2015 Vintage)
"Deep red colour with a good purple tint and a mellow bouquet of earthy, nutty, faintly spicy Barossa character rather than varietal. It's full-bodied and very savoury, with abundant drying, earthy tannins and a rich, lingering finish and aftertaste. An interesting style, down-playing primary fruit and emphasising savouriness and tannin, but not oaky as they used to be. The tannins are mouthcoating and supple, ripe and classy. Good concentration and a very long carry. An impressive and delicious wine. (51% cabernet, 49% shiraz; about 20% new oak. Signatory is viticulturist Darrell Kruger). Drink 2019 – 2035."

94+/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, February 2020 (2015 Vintage)
"I have a real soft spot for Signature. Definitive old skool, but also, reliably good for cellar, impressive youthful drinking. Rustic charm, yet polished, like cracked leather seats in a beautifully maintained vintage car.

This couldn’t be more ocker. Succulent, long, medium weight and hemmed with beautiful tannins, this is a good release of this wine and revels in a little elegance over assumed grunt, though you won’t miss the tongue grapple of the finish. Blueberries, dusty notes, ferrous character, clove, and some cocoa powder. Travels long and well. Delivers that sweet and earthy mesh of both varieties so clearly. It’s very charming."