DAN'S WINE BLOG- THIS WEEK'S WINE REVIEW

Today I am talking about one of our greatest vinous assets the CABERNET/SHIRAZ and/or SHIRAZ/CABERNET. Australia created and has always “owned” these blends, in fact until very recently no other country made such a blend. A Frenchman would rather poke his eyes out than mix Bordeaux with Rh?ne – Mon Dieu!!!

However, while it is “ours”, it is an underappreciated blend. Probably the best known such blend is the Penfolds Bin 389. Interestingly, the very first Jimmy Watson Trophy was won by the 1961 Stoneyfell Metala Cabernet Shiraz, whilst according to Decanter Magazine the best wine ever made in Australia was the Penfolds 1962 Bin 60A Cabernet Shiraz.

How did this rare and exceptional blend occur? Somebody way back in the mists of time probably had a Cabernet wine which was displaying a significant case of the varietal doughnut character (a hole in the mid-palate) and they splashed a smidge of their Shiraz into the wine and lo and behold, a better wine was born.

So, today I am raving about the new benchmark in CABERNET/SHIRAZ (the just released), bloody magnificent, YALUMBA 2016 “THE CALEY” – a blend of Coonawarra Cabernet and Barossa Shiraz. How cool is that?

The Coonawarra characters are superbly supported by the bright Barossa component to form a superbly structured, ripe, succulent, and densely flavoured wine. The colour is intense and the bouquet is magnificent, requiring masses of descriptors to do it justice, a few of which include: aromas of cherries, cedar, florals, cassis, fresh herbs, spice, a hint of savouriness, as well as a smidge of earthiness of a damp forest floor.

Then we hit the palate and OMG more superlatives are required, blackberries, cherries, rich, superbly layered, seamless, dense, tight and restrained with silky tannins and a finish that lingers for eons. It is needing plenty of time to show its true magnificence.

Whilst truly magnificent now, I believe that THE CALEY will continue to evolve and blossom over the next decade and will be a joy to behold for those souls lucky enough to be at the annual Yalumba Museum tasting in 2066!! By the way, the presentation for this wine was stunning - it arrived in a specially designed gift box which also contained a notebook sized history of the adventurer, Fred Caley Smith (1864-1913), grandson of Yalumba's founder, Samuel Smith. The tissue paper which wrapped the bottle was printed with a map of his journey.

So for me, the YALUMBA 2016 THE CALEY is the new benchmark for Australian CABERNET/SHIRAZ blends and it will take a whole lot of beating!!

To check out this amazing wine, and the rest of Yalumba’s range of great wines go to winery link below or go to your local premium bottle shop.

Winery Link:

www.yalumba.com

Cheers, have a great week and remember #drinkaustralianwine