Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, British migrant and English brewer, who had brought his family to Angaston seeking a new life. After purchasing a 30-acre parcel of land just beyond the southern-eastern boundary of Angaston, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch "Yalumba" – aboriginal for "all the land around". Five generations and 160 years later Yalumba, Australia's oldest family owned winery, has grown in sizeand stature, embodying all that has made the Australian wine success story the envy of winemakers the world over.

The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey of excellence, that rightfully honours Yalumba’s most adventurous son, Fred Caley Smith. A blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Barossa Shiraz, The Caley is a classic marriage of two noble varieties and two great Australian wine regions.

This is not only the greatest wine to ever emerge from the hallowed halls of Yalumba, it is categorically the finest exemplar of the great Australian blend of the modern era, and the equal of the greatest in history. Kevin KG Glastonbury’s relentless fanaticism has fused Coonawarra cabernet with Barossa shiraz (26%) to perfection, and I use this word very deliberately. While I was not alive at the time to have the privilege of tasting it in its youth, it has perhaps not been since Max Schubert’s legendary 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A that this union has been mastered with such breathtaking harmony. Since its inaugural release a decade ago, The Caley has set the standard for refinement in cabernet shiraz, reincarnating the Coonawarra/Barossa blends of Yalumba of a half-century ago to become the first wine to win Matthew Jukes and my The Great Australian Red competition four times with three vintages, each of which I scored 98-99 points. 2021 embraces this profound legacy and takes it further to establish an all-new benchmark. It elevates this distinguished label by effortlessly contrasting greater depth of black fruits, higher lift of violet fragrance, more energetic, cool season acidity and more profound confidence of tannins that are at once finer and more velvety and yet somehow stronger, more rigid and more enduring - the pinnacle of KG’s life work. I have bestowed a perfect score on an Australian table wine only once in the past decade, and The Caley 2021 is every bit deserving. Be sure to be first in line when it is unleashed on 1 May 2026. Date: Jan 2026; Drink 2041-2071; Rating: 100 Points; Tyson Stelzer

It might be suspicion only but one feels that our venerable old Barossa producer, Yalumba, may have felt that, as impressive as its portfolio of wines is, the world did not see them having a release which challenged the Granges and the Hills of Grace and a surprising number of new releases at ridiculously high and arguably undeserved prices. Enter this wine, although it still sits well below how others when we start talking cost, but then that is only to its advantage. They opted for the great Aussie red blend to take it away from the usual single variety rock stars. It is also a blend of regions with the Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra and the Shiraz from the Barossa. There have been some absolutely superb releases of this wine over the years but for me, none better than this 2021. It is a superstar. Under cork. Gleaming blood red/maroon, the nose reveals notes of bright cherries, tobacco leaves, spices, well integrated oak, plums, blackberries, aniseed, cassis and beefstock. It is subtle and seductive, generous and plush, offering a fine line of acidity in great length. There are silky tannins on the lingering finish. Superbly focused, this is surely the best Caley to come my way (and I have seen them all). Stonkingly good, if one wishes to get technical. Thirty years with ease. Date: Feb 2026; Rating 99 Points; Ken Gargett; Wine Pilot

At this viewing (and we are a long way off from this wine's intended release), we are in for a very special wine – Yalumba's flagship, from the excellent 2021 vintage. It is a picture of elegance and fruit power in one package. There is a glass-staining deep crimson colour for starters. The fruit, seemingly reduced to an essence, is all blackberry, cassis, black cherry and dark plum. Hints of deep spice, blackforest cake, licorice, cedar, tobacco pouch, bouquet garni, black olive tapenade, pencil shavings, roast beef, earth, veal glace and dark chocolate. The tannins are powdery, layered and in perfect resolution, the oak sitting simpatico with the deep fruit, the finish stretching out for a considerable length of time. The best Caley release thus far for mine. Date: Oct 2024; Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink by: 2064; Rating: 99 Points;  James Halliday Wine Companion

Deep and bright ruby red with a hint of purple shining in the light. Blackberry, mint, dark chocolate and graphite aromatics. The palate is a true delight, showing intensity with poise as it reveals a multitude of facets. Dark berry fruits sit at the centre, with cedar wood, cigar, graphite and bay leaf ebbing and flowing as it drives along. The contrast between effortless intensity and a sense of lightness is remarkable, carried mostly by tannins that show both power and grace. As it reaches an almost never-ending finish, the interplay of characters remains in perfect harmony. Date: Dec 2025; Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink: 2025-2047; Rating: 98 Points; The Real Review

Yalumba The Caley, at its best, is a magnificent wine. Of course it’s pretty much always, every release, at its best. There was no release of The Caley from either the 2017 or 2020 vintages. The power of the palate, the length of the finish, and the long curls of tannin are the hallmarks of greatness here. And yet what really excited me about this release was the hit of garrigue-like herb notes, combined with saltbush itself, combined with black olive tapandade. This wine is not just a tidal wave of sweet fruit; far from it. It’s a cabernet-shiraz blend but it comes across, really, as a great cabernet, all authority, all inky fruit, all tannin and all fragrance. The integration of fruit and oak is a masterclass, as is the deep creek of tannin. In the style of a great Australian red, this wine is as good as anything. Date: Jul 2025; Alcohol: 14.5%; Closure: Cork; Drink: 2030-2045+; Rated: 97 Points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front