The Signature: Yalumba’s benchmark Cabernet-Shiraz blend

The 2018 vintage marks the 60th anniversary since Yalumba first produced The Signature. The wine is viewed with special fondness – not only by the Yalumba brethren whose moniker is immortalised on individual vintages, but because it upholds the distinctly Australian blending signature of Cabernet Sauvignon with Shiraz . Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of eight vintages of Yalumba’s The Signature back to 1996 [subscriber-content]Yalumba’s senior red winemaker Kevin Glastonbury is called the ‘custodian’ of The Signature, having made the blend for the past 23 years. But his passion and deep understanding of the uniquely Australian style sees him also responsible for Yalumba’s other Cabernet-Shiraz blends, providing each with a distinct point of difference. Glastonbury views The Signature as Yalumba’s flagship wine. Not its most expensive or elite wine (that distinction belongs to The Caley Cabernet-Shiraz blend) but the benchmark of high quality against which Yalumba is most commonly measured. [caption id="attachment_480814" align="alignnone" width="630"] Yalumba's managing director Nick Waterman will sign his own barrel as the 2018 Signatory.[/caption] ‘It’s an important statement because it represents value and satisfaction,’ Glastonbury explains. ‘The Signature bears an emotional connection to the people it honours, and the generosity of the flavour is all connected to that. It’s a wine that speaks of personality and charm.’ Through the past 60 years, 48 vintages of The Signature (see box below) have been issued to wide acclaim. And while there is vintage variation to consider, it is a wine style driven by a consistent philosophy. Cabernet Sauvignon is always the dominant variety, relaxing into an easy embrace with the Shiraz in a harmony of flavours and smooth, velvety tannins. It takes a stylistic lead from Bordeaux ’s old Claret styles, but has a distinctly Australian stamp, framed with richer, sunnier fruit flavours and a more languid mid-palate expression. No compromise With the Cabernet Sauvignon often sourced from other areas of South Australia until the mid 1990s, The Signature is now 100% Barossa fruit. However, this focus has led to gaps in the wine’s lineage, with Yalumba chief winemaker Louisa Rose saying that the disappointing quality of Cabernet from a cooler Barossa vintage in 2017 resulted in The Signature not being made. ‘We have a particular style and history to consider with this wine,’ explains Glastonbury. ‘It’s not something we are prepared to compromise if we don’t have fruit that’s suitable.’ [caption id="attachment_480812" align="alignnone" width="630"] Three recent Signatories, from left: Yalumba proprietor and chairman Robert Hill Smith (2012), managing director Nick Waterman (2018) and chief winemaker Louisa Rose (2016).[/caption] Therefore, the release of the 2018 vintage – with outgoing Yalumba managing director Nick Waterman as its signatory – is being heralded by Yalumba as a special moment. Glastonbury says The Signature is a wine he’s personally committed to – not only because he adores the style and flavour, but because the wines are intrinsically tied to personalities who have made Yalumba such a distinctive family-owned wine company. This strong attachment is why people working at Yalumba don’t refer to different Signature vintages by their year but by the name of the signatory. This tradition of paying tribute to Yalumba people, which began with company founder Samuel Smith (the inaugural signatory in 1962), is a distinction Waterman says he will carry with him long after he retires in September. ‘Tasting this wine, it’s an honour I’ll happily raise a glass to,’ he says. The Yalumba Signatories 1962 Samuel Smith 1963 Sidney Smith 1964 Oliver Jenkinson, Percy Smith 1965 not produced 1966 Alfred Wark, Harold Obst, Harold Yates 1967 Clair Chinner, Rudi Kronberger 1968 Eric McKenzie, Mick Hungerford 1969 not produced 1970 Les Falkenberg, Paddy Fitzgerald 1971 Alf Mader, Bruce Coulter 1973 Wyndham Hill Smith 1972 not produced 1974 Christobel Hill Smith 1975 Walter Smith 1976 Ron Skate, Sidney Hill Smith 1977 Harry Mahlo 1978 Colin Hayes 1979 not produced 1980 not produced 1981 Joe Stevens 1982 not produced 1983 Ross Bradbury 1984 John Gillespie 1985 Dennis Reimann 1986 Helen Hill Smith 1987 Dudley Ward 1988 Colin Gerhardy 1989 Graham McDonough 1990 Peter Wall 1991 Mark Hill Smith 1992 Eddy Waechter 1993 Bill Wilksch 1994 Peter Graue 1995 Yalumba's People 1996 James Wark 1997 Vittorio di Biase 1998 Ross White 1999 John Heine 2000 Peter Lehmann 2001 Geoff Linton 2002 Rhonda Sexton 2003 Alan Hoey 2004 Brenton Fry, John Auld, Brian Walsh 2005 Jeff Smith, Greg Pullen 2006 Kevin Renshaw, Ralph Dunning 2008 Judy Argent 2007 not produced 2009 Clive Weston 2010 Jane Ferrari 2011 not produced 2012 Robert Hill Smith 2013 Andrew Murphy 2014 Chris Greening 2015 Darrell Kruger 2016 Louisa Rose 2017 not produced 2018 Nick Waterman [/subscriber-content] The Signature: eight vintages of Yalumba's benchmark Cabernet-Shiraz blend [wine-collection] Related content Yalumba: producer profile and latest releases tasted Australian Riesling: panel tasting results Henschke 2017 single-site Shiraz releases Barossa and McLaren Vale Grenache: old vines, new passion

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The Signature: Yalumba’s benchmark Cabernet-Shiraz blend

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of eight vintages of Yalumba’s The Signature back to 1996

The Signature: eight vintages of Yalumba’s benchmark Cabernet-Shiraz blend

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