Very strong and pure mocha and mint nose. Great density and richness with both Cabernet and Shiraz clearly coming through (and both are very broad and good quality). Nice long minty finish which provides freshness given the lack of acidity. Excellent and highly underrated wine. Oak is a little drying though. Improves with 30mins in the glass. No hurry here - drink to 2030 easily. 94pts
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Absolutely delicious. Like the review below, the cork was challenging but the wine in tact. Very strong notes of strawberry jam on the palate. I've also had the 2001 and 2002 over the past few weeks. The 2005 is definitely the stand out.
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I went looking for the specific blend of this vintage but it seems Yalumba will give you the precise % of each type of oak used but keeps secret the proportions of Cab and Shiraz. Terrible cork that crumbled away, but once the wine was out it was clear it had at least done its job and the wine itself was terrific. Rich stewed plum. Fruit pudding. Classic Barossa character. Gathers weight and intensity with air. Right in its drinking window now but might fractionally improve over a couple of years and should hold for 10 in a good cellar.
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Vertical tasting dinner with 2005, 2006 & 2008 Yalumba Signatures (decanted 3 hours). All three drank with dinner which was lamb 3 ways (rosemary lamb chops, braised lamb breast stuffed w merguez), lobster mac & cheese & minted peas.
2005 - my word this was superb. Lovely nose of muted and lingering cherry and chocolate. On the taste this was long and smooth with perfect sweetness. No fruit bombing here - this is drinking amazingly right now; shame I dont have anymore!!
All 3 are wonderful examples of really good Aussie wines - leading the world with these cab/shiraz blends.
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Cork crumbled but wine fully intact. Plenty of black fruit still evident, with a bit of fresh redcurrant. Very full in the mouth, plenty of secondary development, some spice and herbs, this is a great package at its peak, and really good VFM.
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Dark purple/garnet, berry and floral nose, big and lovely blue and black fruit with a touch of mint on the palate, fully integrated tannins with a soft silky mouth feel to a medium long finish, lots of life left in this wine, I can understand why it is a classic, lovely wine.
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Still has a ton of fruit and a lovely nose. Colour is dark with slight browning at the edges. Finish is short to medium and doesn't linger as long on the tongue as I would have expected. Still a very nice wine.
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Wonderful fruit and great length. The tenants are now fully integrated and it has a very soft gentle finish. Easily will last another 3 to 5 years but well into it’s drinking window now
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Has retained plenty of purple to the body, but there is a wateriness now to the rim. Reasonable, but by no means high viscosity. A ripe, berry dominant nose; both blue and black fruit. Also vanilla, caramel and mixed spices. The blackcurrant, and cedar palate has a mintiness to it, and is rich and full. The length is superior, with prominent tannin still in tow. Has the depth of fruit and stuffing to easily see out another decade.
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Big, rich Barossa nose. Quite thick in the mouth. Loads of ripe Barossa fruit - dark and rich. Not exactly delicate, but not overpowering either. Quite sweet, but again, not excessively. Very good length thanks to that mouth-coating quality. Tannins well integrated. Doesn't seem to be all that developed, so I suspect it has many years ahead of it. Probably just in the sweet spot right now. I'm not a big fan of big Barossa reds, but this is a nice drop.
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Steak wines @ Lurra (Lurra, London): Thick and dense and gloopy syrup. Hard to judge as it's so far from my thing. If you like the style there's nothing wrong with it, but very sweet and seemingly one dimensional. ***1/2 ??
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red colour still with some purple here plummy nose, touch of spice no overt oak very complex nose, touch of herbs, the fruit smells lovely Very fresh, plenty of tannin but it's smooth Savoury oaky finish Intense, harmonious and elegant Seriously good Drinking well now but i'd love to try in 5, 10 years. It'll be even better
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Fantastic nose of bright red fruits, delicious spicy red fruit flavours and a peppery finish. Although it is lovely I would suggest there is another 5+ years in this and it shouldn't be touched just yet.
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allowed three hours bottle breath uncorked; a muscular man in bouquet and a elegant lady in palate; strong, a little bit alcohol indeed, and pronounced black fruits, mint, spicy and vanilla in aroma; powerful but charming; textured but simple palate; dissolved tannin with delicious acidity in finish; a very balanced wine now; can enjoy alone without fruit; good to drink now or cellar for 2-3 more years
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Dark inky purple, powerful rich wine, ripe, rich cherry fruit, tobacco, floral (violet) notes , noticeable tannic structure - tannins still quite sticky - doesn't obscure the enjoyment now but plenty of life left. Nice acidic balance - this was far better than I expected.
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Vin d'une richesse bien établie. Agréable ébauche bouche avec des tannins fermes. De la première coupe à la dernière, il n'y a pas d'équivoque et son profil ne se déments pas. Bu avec un Osso Bucco et légumes braisés. Je le recommande des maintenant mais j'ose croire qu'avec encore quelques années en cellier il serait encore plus surprenant.
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This wine is extremely young. I think there's major potential here. The fruit is incredibly pure and is paired with tobacco and earth. Old school wine. 91+ (?)
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Dark garnet. The nose is dense and inviting with aromas of black cherry, chocolate and plump blackcurrant. Ripe and velvety on the palate with lush bramble fruit, cedar, graphite, spicy tannins and a long tobacco filled finish. Very nice.
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Decanted for one hour before tasting. Dark inky red core, slightly lighter rim. Huge nose; blackberries, dark plums, toffee, spices, a hint of eucalyptus and a little charred wood. The sweet fruit carries through onto the palate where it integrates nicely with the oak in an impressive display of flavour concentration. Fortunately there’s enough acidity and tannic bite to balance out the opulent fruit. Smooth and viscous with a lengthy and slightly bitter finish. A blockbuster wine – certainly not a style that accounts for a large proportion of my consuption, but sometimes this is just the kind of wine I want and yesterday was one of those days.
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Decanter Fine Wine Encounter; 11/13/2010-11/14/2010 (Landmark Hotel, London): (Decanter Fine Wine Encounter) This is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvigon, 45% Shiraz, 22 months in 15% new oak from France, USA and Hungary (apparently its like the French but spicier). Deep inky red color,very fruity, leather, tobacco, very round, complex and fruits again in the palate. You can drink it now but could also age in the bottle for another 10 to 15 years.
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I do like the way Yalumba balances Cabernet Sauvginon and Shiraz in its "The Signature" bottling, and the 2005 is a successful vintage. Big, bold, and aromatic, and yet sufficiently balanced to avoid being an all-out fruit bomb. Black peper, cassis, cedar, and red fruit drive the aromatics and the wine has a long life ahead. From 2011 until 2017+.
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A really really good drop. Drank with a few other 05 SA / WA Shiraz and Shiraz / Cabs and it blew them all away. Great nose of sweet ripe fruit with smooth oak. Dark Purple in colour and very pleasant, fruity palate that lingers for ages. I am off to buy some more!
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Very dark maroony red. Ultra dark, blackcurrants drowned in ink, yet still juicy!, the tiniest hint of really nice gentle, tar, This went through a wild ferment which probably went stuck, because it was then inoculated with a cultured strain. Full on the palate, but not too full, with dark blackcurrant, prune, dusty country earth, brown leaves, tar, wild darkest blackest blackberries. It’s dark fruited yet bright at the same time. Married with lovely wood flavoured vanillary oak. Lovely gentle spices: cloves, cinnamon, pepper, This is an old style, not just that it’s a Cab Shiraz (an Aussie classic that seems to be dying out?), but
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Better than an 04 I had recently. Enticing nose - blackberry, plum, blackcurrant; delicious spices with aniseed, cloves and a gentle mintiness; a touch of herbs and the first hints of cedar round it out. Powerhouse palate, yet keeps everything in balance. Big smack of coffee and dark chocolate on entry, blueberry and black fruits framed with impressive tannins, more aniseed and lipsmacking mocha finish. Not normally a great fan of Yalumba but this is good. Finish sails on. Can only get better. 92+
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11/30/2023 - Dave Herzig Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby in color with hints of mocha and mint. Long finish on the back of the palate, think this will cellar for a few more years.
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9/4/2023 - JulianSkeels wrote: 94 Points
Very strong and pure mocha and mint nose. Great density and richness with both Cabernet and Shiraz clearly coming through (and both are very broad and good quality). Nice long minty finish which provides freshness given the lack of acidity. Excellent and highly underrated wine. Oak is a little drying though. Improves with 30mins in the glass. No hurry here - drink to 2030 easily. 94pts
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9/1/2022 - sgsh100 wrote: 95 Points
Garnet to black in colour. No sign of browning. Mint, tobacco, black fruit, long palate. Mouth filling acid. Wonderful wine
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8/11/2022 - maaike2 wrote: 94 Points
What a joy to taste and drink this wine. Jammy, but not overdone, spicy, lots of red fruit, elegant and long lasting. Delicious.
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6/12/2022 - Mr Laroux Likes this wine:
Absolutely delicious. Like the review below, the cork was challenging but the wine in tact. Very strong notes of strawberry jam on the palate. I've also had the 2001 and 2002 over the past few weeks. The 2005 is definitely the stand out.
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5/14/2022 - sjw_11 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I went looking for the specific blend of this vintage but it seems Yalumba will give you the precise % of each type of oak used but keeps secret the proportions of Cab and Shiraz. Terrible cork that crumbled away, but once the wine was out it was clear it had at least done its job and the wine itself was terrific. Rich stewed plum. Fruit pudding. Classic Barossa character. Gathers weight and intensity with air. Right in its drinking window now but might fractionally improve over a couple of years and should hold for 10 in a good cellar.
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3/12/2022 - sswine wrote: 94 Points
Vertical tasting dinner with 2005, 2006 & 2008 Yalumba Signatures (decanted 3 hours). All three drank with dinner which was lamb 3 ways (rosemary lamb chops, braised lamb breast stuffed w merguez), lobster mac & cheese & minted peas.
2005 - my word this was superb. Lovely nose of muted and lingering cherry and chocolate. On the taste this was long and smooth with perfect sweetness. No fruit bombing here - this is drinking amazingly right now; shame I dont have anymore!!
All 3 are wonderful examples of really good Aussie wines - leading the world with these cab/shiraz blends.
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12/28/2021 - catchnrelease Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork was shot but the wine was holding up really well, could go longer but in a great place now balancing primary and tertiary notes.
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11/21/2021 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork crumbled but wine fully intact. Plenty of black fruit still evident, with a bit of fresh redcurrant. Very full in the mouth, plenty of secondary development, some spice and herbs, this is a great package at its peak, and really good VFM.
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10/2/2020 - chbeaumont wrote: 89 Points
Opaque core; blast of black fruit
tremendous depth & power, saturated black fruit; unapologetic fulsome finish. This has 10 years to run.
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9/1/2019 - Jnihols7 wrote: 95 Points
Dark purple/garnet, berry and floral nose, big and lovely blue and black fruit with a touch of mint on the palate, fully integrated tannins with a soft silky mouth feel to a medium long finish, lots of life left in this wine, I can understand why it is a classic, lovely wine.
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8/10/2019 - Revro Likes this wine: 96 Points
Super wine
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8/1/2019 - urbanhick wrote: 89 Points
Still has a ton of fruit and a lovely nose. Colour is dark with slight browning at the edges. Finish is short to medium and doesn't linger as long on the tongue as I would have expected. Still a very nice wine.
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3/2/2019 - RobertLA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful fruit and great length. The tenants are now fully integrated and it has a very soft gentle finish. Easily will last another 3 to 5 years but well into it’s drinking window now
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11/6/2018 - Robbie K Likes this wine: 94 Points
Has retained plenty of purple to the body, but there is a wateriness now to the rim. Reasonable, but by no means high viscosity.
A ripe, berry dominant nose; both blue and black fruit. Also vanilla, caramel and mixed spices.
The blackcurrant, and cedar palate has a mintiness to it, and is rich and full. The length is superior, with prominent tannin still in tow.
Has the depth of fruit and stuffing to easily see out another decade.
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9/2/2017 - ruth3 wrote:
big, upfront rich dark red fruit with some mint, good length and mouth coating
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7/8/2017 - Nostromo99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big, rich Barossa nose. Quite thick in the mouth. Loads of ripe Barossa fruit - dark and rich. Not exactly delicate, but not overpowering either. Quite sweet, but again, not excessively. Very good length thanks to that mouth-coating quality. Tannins well integrated. Doesn't seem to be all that developed, so I suspect it has many years ahead of it. Probably just in the sweet spot right now. I'm not a big fan of big Barossa reds, but this is a nice drop.
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5/30/2017 - RobertLA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful balance of fruit. Drinking perfectly now
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10/27/2016 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Steak wines @ Lurra (Lurra, London): Thick and dense and gloopy syrup. Hard to judge as it's so far from my thing. If you like the style there's nothing wrong with it, but very sweet and seemingly one dimensional. ***1/2 ??
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9/10/2016 - whme Likes this wine: 95 Points
Kept really well. They really got this blend just right. Very good complexity. No need to rush, many years left.
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9/25/2015 - ruth3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
upfront curranty red fruit, smooth supple tannins with a minty finish. an elegant wine with years ahead of it.
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9/24/2015 - Imagnu Does not like this wine:
Past it
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6/11/2015 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
red colour still with some purple here
plummy nose, touch of spice no overt oak
very complex nose, touch of herbs, the fruit smells lovely
Very fresh, plenty of tannin but it's smooth
Savoury oaky finish
Intense, harmonious and elegant
Seriously good
Drinking well now but i'd love to try in 5, 10 years. It'll be even better
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10/19/2013 - christhewino Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fantastic nose of bright red fruits, delicious spicy red fruit flavours and a peppery finish. Although it is lovely I would suggest there is another 5+ years in this and it shouldn't be touched just yet.
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2/13/2013 - burgburgburg Likes this wine: 92 Points
allowed three hours bottle breath uncorked; a muscular man in bouquet and a elegant lady in palate; strong, a little bit alcohol indeed, and pronounced black fruits, mint, spicy and vanilla in aroma; powerful but charming; textured but simple palate; dissolved tannin with delicious acidity in finish; a very balanced wine now; can enjoy alone without fruit; good to drink now or cellar for 2-3 more years
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12/5/2012 - dsyzling wrote:
Dark inky purple, powerful rich wine, ripe, rich cherry fruit, tobacco, floral (violet) notes , noticeable tannic structure - tannins still quite sticky - doesn't obscure the enjoyment now but plenty of life left. Nice acidic balance - this was far better than I expected.
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3/11/2012 - Mon Cellier wrote: 92 Points
Vin d'une richesse bien établie. Agréable ébauche bouche avec des tannins fermes. De la première coupe à la dernière, il n'y a pas d'équivoque et son profil ne se déments pas. Bu avec un Osso Bucco et légumes braisés. Je le recommande des maintenant mais j'ose croire qu'avec encore quelques années en cellier il serait encore plus surprenant.
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1/1/2012 - TheBosWineGuy wrote: 91 Points
This wine is extremely young. I think there's major potential here. The fruit is incredibly pure and is paired with tobacco and earth. Old school wine. 91+ (?)
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12/6/2011 - spatialiser wrote: 89 Points
[3 Wine Men tasting 2/10/2011] Well balanced Cab-Shiraz Blend
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10/31/2011 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Dark garnet. The nose is dense and inviting with aromas of black cherry, chocolate and plump blackcurrant. Ripe and velvety on the palate with lush bramble fruit, cedar, graphite, spicy tannins and a long tobacco filled finish. Very nice.
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9/3/2011 - Pebben wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for one hour before tasting. Dark inky red core, slightly lighter rim. Huge nose; blackberries, dark plums, toffee, spices, a hint of eucalyptus and a little charred wood. The sweet fruit carries through onto the palate where it integrates nicely with the oak in an impressive display of flavour concentration. Fortunately there’s enough acidity and tannic bite to balance out the opulent fruit. Smooth and viscous with a lengthy and slightly bitter finish. A blockbuster wine – certainly not a style that accounts for a large proportion of my consuption, but sometimes this is just the kind of wine I want and yesterday was one of those days.
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11/13/2010 - kostaslonis wrote: 89 Points
Decanter Fine Wine Encounter; 11/13/2010-11/14/2010 (Landmark Hotel, London): (Decanter Fine Wine Encounter) This is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvigon, 45% Shiraz, 22 months in 15% new oak from France, USA and Hungary (apparently its like the French but spicier). Deep inky red color,very fruity, leather, tobacco, very round, complex and fruits again in the palate. You can drink it now but could also age in the bottle for another 10 to 15 years.
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10/18/2010 - Maestro wrote: 90 Points
I do like the way Yalumba balances Cabernet Sauvginon and Shiraz in its "The Signature" bottling, and the 2005 is a successful vintage. Big, bold, and aromatic, and yet sufficiently balanced to avoid being an all-out fruit bomb. Black peper, cassis, cedar, and red fruit drive the aromatics and the wine has a long life ahead. From 2011 until 2017+.
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5/18/2010 - AndrewJ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Starting to soften, has years left in it, a stunner of a wine. Drank with steak.
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2/15/2010 - Outwide wrote: 92 Points
A really really good drop. Drank with a few other 05 SA / WA Shiraz and Shiraz / Cabs and it blew them all away. Great nose of sweet ripe fruit with smooth oak. Dark Purple in colour and very pleasant, fruity palate that lingers for ages. I am off to buy some more!
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12/1/2009 - Bearbus wrote:
Very dark maroony red.
Ultra dark, blackcurrants drowned in ink, yet still juicy!, the tiniest hint of really nice gentle, tar,
This went through a wild ferment which probably went stuck, because it was then inoculated with a cultured strain. Full on the palate, but not too full, with dark blackcurrant, prune, dusty country earth, brown leaves, tar, wild darkest blackest blackberries. It’s dark fruited yet bright at the same time. Married with lovely wood flavoured vanillary oak. Lovely gentle spices: cloves, cinnamon, pepper,
This is an old style, not just that it’s a Cab Shiraz (an Aussie classic that seems to be dying out?), but
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7/4/2009 - mattwoolley wrote: 92 Points
Better than an 04 I had recently. Enticing nose - blackberry, plum, blackcurrant; delicious spices with aniseed, cloves and a gentle mintiness; a touch of herbs and the first hints of cedar round it out. Powerhouse palate, yet keeps everything in balance. Big smack of coffee and dark chocolate on entry, blueberry and black fruits framed with impressive tannins, more aniseed and lipsmacking mocha finish. Not normally a great fan of Yalumba but this is good. Finish sails on. Can only get better. 92+
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