D* Yalumba The Signature Cabernet-Shiraz 2018

NOTE: As part of our Explorer Series some labels may be slightly stained/damaged, but wines are first quality.

An impressive star of the 2018 vintage. Medium deep, dense, red in colour. Cool, fresh aromas of perfumed mints, blueberry, small red berries and red spicy cedar notes. Some leafy aromatics appear as the wine opens up over time. A refined and complex palate that is delightfully fresh with seamlessly integrated oak. Generous red berry fruit is wrapped in finely honed tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile. Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Shiraz

Professional Ratings

Australian Wine Companion 96 Points
Since its first release in 1962, The Signature has been Yalumba’s deep dive into the classic Australian blend from the Barossa and one that honors the people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba. There is a resonance and depth to this release that I really like. Wonderfully pure and concentrated blackberry and plum fruits, layered with spice, dark chocolate, earth, cedar and oak nuance. Succulent and sinewy in the mouth, it flexes considerable muscle, yet remains purely fruited and approachable even at this stage of its evolution. Rich and balanced with fine, ripe tannin and plenty of energy for such depth of fruit. Lovely.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 96 Points
The 2018 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (the 48th vintage) is named for Nick Waterman (managing director and CEO of Yalumba 2015 – 2022). The 2018 vintage in South Australia (and specifically here, Barossa) was an excellent one: ripe/warm, even and long and produced wines with density, energy and gravitas. This is exactly that: plush and powerful. The fruit forms a perfect dovetail: the enveloping, mouth-filling abundance of the Shiraz, neatly wedged into the folds of the structuring and shapely Cabernet. Very impressive. This is one of the more impressive Signatures in recent times. It will cellar with grace and ease.

Decanter 95 Points
Ideal vintage conditions set the stage for this impressive blend – worth waiting for after no Signature was released in 2017. Polished and showy from the off, it exudes concentrated, ripe red plum and boysenberry aromas, with a whiff of vanilla and cedar. There’s a caramel oak sweetness on the palate, like a plush velvet-textured cloak over dense, herbal bramble fruit, supported by fine chocolatey tannins and balancing acidity. Vibrant yet forceful.

James Suckling 94 Points
Inviting aromas of blackcurrant, sliced plum, graphite, crushed stone and bark. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Structured and elegant, with a bevy of red and black fruit washing over the palate with steady intensity. Subtle baking-spice complexity and some oak is laced into the solid core of fruit. Long.

Wine Spectator 91 Points
Impressive for its polish and elegant, seamless frame, with cedar, tobacco and spice notes adding warmth to the core of plum and cassis. Offers details of fig, fresh mint and pepper on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.