2019 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

A classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz first produced in 1962, Yalumba’s Signature pays homage each vintage to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the culture and traditions of Yalumba. The 2019 vintage’s signatories are winemaker Kevin Glastonbury and chief viticulturist Robin Nettelbeck.
A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Shiraz with maturation taking place in a combination of French barriques and Hungarian hogsheads (25% of which was new oak) for a period of 19 months.
Impenetrable pitch black heart with a deep dark red black hue. Heady aromas of blackcurrant, liquorice and dark plum engulf the olfactory senses trailed by vanillin cedar, hints of dark chocolate, earth, tobacco and spicy dried herb notes. Rich, deep and concentrated the full bodied palate has cascading waves of ripe blackcurrant, liquorice, dark chocolate and dark plum fruits rolling across it which are ably supported by a firm yet beautifully integrated tannin structure. Accents of vanillin cedar, earth, tobacco and spice add further nuance to the back half. Plush yet sturdy in its feel it finishes with outstanding power and persistence. A bolder, darker expression of Yalumba’s Signature that can be drunk over the next 10-15 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
Since its first release in 1962, the Yalumba Signature cabernet/shiraz blend has shown a fine pedigree of cellar-worthy wines, and it looks like that bloodline will continue with the 2019 release. Deep, bright crimson in the glass and densely packed with ripe blackberry, black cherry, plum and cassis fruit notes on a bed of fine spice, licorice, cedar, dark chocolate, vanillin oak and light almond blossom tones. There's a wonderful tannin structure here, fine, compact and sandy, lending perfect structure to the pure black fruits. Nothing heavy or overblown, everything in its place, the confluence of fruit/tannin/acidity on song. Pop some in your glass or the cellar. You choose. Drink by 2038.
96 points
Dave Brookes – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

Winemaker Kevin Glastonbury is (finally!) the signatory on the bottle. What a great and long-standing person he has been at Yalumba, so affable, shifting the dial gradually, open minded and a strong ambassador for the wines. It’s 52% cabernet, 48% shiraz. Good year for it, KG explains.
It’s heady in its perfume, thick scents of ripe raspberry, vanilla coffee, boysenberry and cedar with whiffs of green herb. The palate is impossibly rich and soft, smooth and velvety, voluptuous but with great freshness and a minty lift. Hedonistic style, but the brightness is really appealing, and the wine has veered well away from its past dry, firm, somewhat taxing-in-youth structural styles. A light squeeze of tannin. It’s got Aussie classic written all over it. Delicious drinking for the bolder red lover, or others! Drink 2023-2040.
95 points
Mike Bennie – The Wine Front