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Yalumba releases iconic Caley 2015

Iconic Australian wine estate Yalumba has released the 2015 vintage of The Caley, a wine label emblematic of the founding family’s history.

The wine, which this year is a blend of 74% Coonawarra Cabernet and 26% Barossa Shiraz, is named in honour of Fred Caley Smith, grandson of Yalumba’s founder Samuel Smith. Fred was a horticulturist who had a profound impact on the development of Yalumba’s orchards and vineyards.

Each release of The Caley celebrates a step in Fred’s journey, and in this vintage, the spotlight falls on his time in New York City at the tail-end of the 19th century.

To celebrate the launch, the drinks business was invited to an exclusive vertical (and virtual) tasting of The Caley wines to the inaugural 2012, hosted by Robert and Jess Hill-Smith. Our fine wine editor, Rupert Millar, deemed the entire collection “really lovely, bright, rather classically proportioned wines. While he felt the 2013 was the “ballsiest of the bunch” the latest release also showed huge promise being full of redcurrant fruit. This is a wine that is made for ageing, with Yalumba’s winemaker Kevin Glastonbury suggesting this could sit in a cellar until 2035 for the best results.

“Over 171 years, Yalumba’s journey has been all about vision, fortitude, survival and innovation: about looking onwards and upwards,” Said Robert Hill-Smith.

“That journey has also been characterised to a large degree by humility and modesty about our many achievements.”

“In this modern wine world, we need to stand up and be counted. We should no longer hide our light under the canopy.”

“This is not about aspiring to win an Oscar. It’s about a moment in time when we change gears with excitement and confidence: knowing what we are good at, and lighting the fuse.”

To understand Yalumba’s mission to create a modern ‘Super Claret’, it does well to look into the history books. Fred Caley-Smith undertook a ground-breaking horticultural research journey in 1893 and1894 to the USA, UK, Europe, the Middle East, Sri Lanka and India, keeping close contact with his family back in Australia throughout.

The detailed and poignant letters he sent to his father were collected and kept in the Yalumba archive, and now serve as inspiration for the next generation of family winemakers.

Fred’s letters provide a look into the life and times of 1893 New York. In one account, he shares his experience of the opulent Hoffman House Hotel and its world-renowned bar. Fred seemed rather taken with not just the expertly-served Manhattan cocktails, but also the “exquisite” artwork adorning the walls.

His observations of the architecture, infrastructure, entertainment, art, and hospitality shaped his view of what was to come for Yalumba and Australian wine as a whole.

Which brings us to the present and this latest release. Glastonbury said Yalumba was fortunate enough to have a “terrific” 2015 vintage which gave the grapes a richness and generosity. On sampling the wine in April this year, the winemaker said the bouquet carries the distinct aromas we’ve come to expect from a Coonawarra Cabernet, with refined green olive and a touch of leafiness giving away its ageing potential.

“When you taste The Caley 2015, it’s almost as though the three previous releases are rolled into one,” he said. “It has the fruit purity and tannin profile of the 2012, the structure of the 2013 and the generosity and approachability of the 2014.”

“The 2015, however, stands alone. It’s a star in its own right and a seriously good Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz.”

Yalumba The Caley Cabernet and Shiraz is available to buy now with an RRP of AU$365 per bottle.

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