The Caley Cabernet & Shiraz

Rare and Fine

The Caley

2021

Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz

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 Aastralian blend of the modern era.

TYSON STELZER, 7 JANUARY 2026
100 PTS

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The Caley Cabernet & Shiraz image number null

Rare and Fine

South Australia

The Caley

Cabernet Sauvignon | Shiraz 2021

Members Only

$450
750mL Bottle
The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey of excellence, that rightfully honours one of Yalumba’s most adventurous sons. 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.
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The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey of excellence, that rightfully honours one of Yalumba’s most adventurous sons. 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.
Tasting Note Very deep and dense red in colour. Stunningly inviting perfume of blackcurrants, rose petals, iodine, violets, fine spices, dried herbs and cedary tones. This truly epitomises the distinct character of Coonawarra and the unique essence of The Caley. Shiraz fruit merges with Cabernet Sauvignon delivering a long, silken and seamless palate with a fine, powdery tannin profile.
Terroir The Ming D block in the Yalumba Coonawarra vineyard provides the 74% Cabernet Sauvignon of this blend. This 2.7 ha plot was planted in 1992 with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon selected for structure and depth of flavour. The Caley’s 26% Shiraz component was sourced from two Barossa blocks. The first is “Barty’s block” in the Bartholomaeus family vineyard, located on the southern edge of Eden Valley township. This old Shiraz block is of unknown clones and was planted in 1920. The second is Simon Cowham’s old Shiraz block. Located in the foothills of the ranges near Light Pass, this old block of 0.72 ha was planted in 1955.
Treatment Matured for 18 months in 21% new French oak barriques and hogsheads, balance in 1 year and older French oak barriques and hogsheads.
2012 2019

Accolades

The finest exemplar of the great Australian blend
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. 100 points. Drink 2041-2071.
Tyson Stelzer

The best Caley release thus far for mine
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.
Dave Brookes

It is a superstar
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.
Ken Gargett

In perfect harmony
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.
Stuart Knox

This wine is as good as anything
Yalumba The Caley, at its best, is a magnificent wine. Of course it’s pretty much always, every release, at its best – here. 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.
Campbell Mattinson

A powerful, serious release
Elegant and restrained, showing class from the outset. Dusty cedar, cassis and blood plum open before unfurling into tilled earth, graphite and gravel. Further air adds bay leaf, mulch, black pepper, cocoa powder, dark cherry and blackberry. It’s brimming with precise, layered complexity. The palate is suave and assured, gliding through with elegance, restraint and brilliant intensity. Never weighty, with black fruits intermingling with earth and spice complexity once more. Cocoa powder–coated, tight-grained tannins put up a lovely elegant frame. The acidity is like lightning, shooting through the finish with vim and vigour to great length. Balance and complexity here will see this wine age beautifully. A powerful, serious release.
Tom Kline

With potential to be legendary
The 2021 The Caley is incredibly tight and adolescent, yet to fully display all its cards. It opens with a firm core of soy sauce, graphite, dried herbs, sea spray, dried mint, gravel and graphite aromas before moving into more green olive, licorice and white pepper flavours with excellent weight and volume. Rich veins of powdery tannins underlie a long, strong and youthful finish. Enigmatic now but with potential to be legendary.
Angus Hughson
The Caley

Shop More Formats and Vintages

We have available Museum Releases of The Caley, optimally aged in our cellar to ensure their proper maturity and quality, and to showcase our commitment to wines of pedigree and exceptional quality. ​

We also keep available a number of exclusive formats of the Caley, including large bottle Magnums (1.5L), Jeroboams (3L) and Methuselahs (6L).

See below the full range available for the Caley.

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A collectors’ guide to The Caley

A glass of The Caley sitting next to it's decanter

Decanting The Caley

For optimum drinking, we always recommend decanting fine wines. Decanting The Caley will give the wine a chance to attain a stage of development that normally requires years of aging.

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When to drink

Built to spend many years in the cellar, The Caley takes time to reveal its true character. The wine will drink beautifully today or in 5 – 30 years.

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A glass of The Caley sitting in front of the bottle

Glassware

Every aspect of The Caley is enhanced when the ideal glass is used. The Riedel Veritas Cabernet Shiraz glass was crafted in collaboration with Riedel in 2012 for The Caley’s inaugural vintage release.

MORE ABOUT GLASSWARE
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A note on cork

At Yalumba, we remain fervent supporters of high grade cork closures for select wines. Learn more about natural wine closures and how best to store wines under cork.

MORE ABOUT CORK

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The Caley Story

Discover the story of The Caley

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