PRODUCT OVERVIEW/REVIEWS:
Back in 1849, British beer brewer extraordinaire Sam Smith decided to expand his empire. With his family, he left the UK and set sail for Down Under in search of the perfect place to make.....WINE! Yup, that's right, Sam Smith is the man behind the über successful Yalumba Winery, which has been at the forefront of Australian wine production for six generations.

Yalumba’s longevity and success are a result of patience, collaboration, and progressive thinking. There is foresight to embrace the natural terroir to craft wines with individual character and a sense of purpose, a spirit to reinvest in the land upon which it operates, and knowledge to behave as a leader in the industry. Yalumba is committed to sharing stories of provenance gathered over more than 168 years of history of family winemaking.*

"The Signature" encompasses everything Yalumba stands for and is the perfect representation of its history. A sentimental favorite, it is a classic Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz that has been beguiling the palates of wine lovers since 1962. Each year, the wine is dedicated to an employee who embodies Yalumba's ethos and enhances its traditions.

Today's offer is a rich representation of the 2016 vintage, which produced concentrated fruit with heady aromatics. A blend of 53% cabernet sauvignon and 47% shiraz sourced from several vineyards throughout the Barossa Valley and aged in a combination of French, American, and Hungarian barrels (28% new) for 21 months, it has aromas of red currants, perfumed cedar, and dried herbs. Classically rich, it abounds with black fruits on the palate interlaced with notes of exotic spices, cranberries, and dark chocolate. Supple tannins add structure and carry the wine to a long finish.

Check out the press!

96 points, Decanter:
"Cool summer and autumn nights tempered warm days in 2016, producing great intensity to the iodine and espresso-edged nose and palate here. With silky blackberry and currant, fleshier mulberry, and refreshing blood plum, the palate is motile, its juicy persistence a foil to the creamy, savory oak (French barriques, Hungarian and American hogsheads, 28% new), and dynamic snare of ripe but present tannins. A fitting tribute to Yalumba's chief winemaker, Louisa Rose." (11/27/20)

96 points, James Suckling:
"A very youthful vintage, this is taut and will age very well. Aromas of blackcurrants, tar, blackberries, and baking spices lead to a palate that has such an intense, gently smoky thread with a succulent, juicy red-plum, berry, and spice finish. Light espresso. Super long-aging Signature here. A blend of Barossa cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Try from 2024." (9/11/20)

94 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Yalumba's 2016 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is a Barossa-based blend of 53% Cab and 47% Shiraz. Aged in a mix of barriques and hogsheads (28% new), it offers up scents of cherry, cassis, and tobacco, with grace notes of cedar and vanilla. Medium to full-bodied, it's concentrated, silky, streamlined, and long on the finish—very much a classic claret style despite the high proportion of Shiraz. Each year's edition of the wine is dedicated to a notable Yalumba employee; the 2016 is dedicated to Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose." (2/26/21)

94 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
"The latest release of this wine honors the company's chief winemaker of 30 years, Louisa Rose. This is a lucid, multilayered wine that shows notes of dark cherry, currant, chocolate, mint, bay, and peppery spices smudged with graphite. The palate is big and rich but tempered by fine, chalky tannins, with a tang to the fruit and an underbelly of roast meat. Drink 2022–2036." (7/1/21)

92 points, Wine Spectator:
"Plush and complex, with black tea, dried sage, and fresh earth notes that firm up as details of stewed plum, blackberry jam, and dried cherry flavors. Shows a touch of smoked paprika on the finish. Cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Drink now through 2030." (Web only, 2021)