Yalumba Rare & Fine The Caley

Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz bottle image

Wine Description

The Caley has been sourced from three outstanding vineyards of the Coonawarra and Barossa regions and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Yalumba Clocktower
Yalumba Cooperage
Yalumba Vineyard
Yalumba Barrel Room
Yalumba Museum
Robert and Jess Hill-Smith
Winemaker, Louisa Rose
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Acclaim
Opaque, bright-hued ruby. Deeply pitched, smoke-accented blackberry, boysenberry cherry liqueur, potpourri and cured tobacco aromas are lifted by a sexy floral note and a touch of cracked pepper. Rich but energetic, almost weightless as well, showing excellent focus and spicy thrust to its dark berry and floral pastille flavors. Smoothly balances richness and finesse and shows no rough edges. Finishes on a smoky mineral note, with outstanding tenacity, lingering floral character and velvety, well-knit tannins that lend subtle grip."
— Vinous, Dec 2021
"52% Coonawarra cabernet, 27% Barossa cabernet and 21% Barossa shiraz, open-fermented with wild yeast (three days) then cultured yeast. Bright, deep crimson-purple; the bouquet instantly semaphores a glorious profusion of cassis, blackberry and black cherry fruits, flavours which are precisely mirrored by the palate. But it's the way this beautiful wine caresses the mouth that is so special, the tannins polished, the oak judged to perfection."
— James Halliday, Jan 2017
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Multiple Vineyards
Soil composition
Terra Rossa and Limestone/red brown loam
Elevation:
50-1,100 feet
Average Vine Age:
40 years
Certifying Organizations:
ISO14001; Entwine Australia
Sustainability Certification:
EPA Acredited Sustainability Licence
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Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
1-3 days on skins pre fermentation before wild yeast start to ferment
Varietal composition:
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Shiraz
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Barriques and Hogsheads
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
23 months
Age of Aging Container:
22 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.6
Acidity:
6.7 g/L
Alcohol:
14.1 %
Residual sugar:
0.7 g/L
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Wine Production

The Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz parcels were fermented separately in open fermenters. Indigenous or ‘wild’ yeasts, naturally present on the grape skins, initiated the fermentation to contribute complexity, richness and fine texture. Cultured winery yeasts were then added to complete fermentation. Gentle plunging and pulsing of the skins was undertaken to achieve the right balance of color, tannin and phenolic extraction. Matured for 22 months in a mix of 31% new French barriques and hogsheads, 22% one-year old French barriques and the balance in older French barriques and hogsheads.  After bottling, the wine was cellared for a further 36 months and released in 2017.

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About the Vineyard

The Ming D block of the Yalumba Coonawarra vineyard provides 52% of the Cabernet Sauvignon of the blend. This 2.7ha plot planted in 1992 with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon selected for structure and depth of flavour. The Shiraz is sourced from the Burgemeister “Linke Block” between Nuriootpa and Angaston.  The soil is a red brown earth in the Light Pass loamy fine sand family. There is also a component that comes from the 1971 Yalumba Horseshoe Block in Eden Valley