Yalumba

One of Australia's finest...

Yalumba is an Aboriginal word meaning “All the Land Around.” It is certainly a fitting name as there is a rambling, all-encompassing aspect to Yalumba—but each of their many projects reveals an obsessive commitment to fine wines and the land that produces them. The winery was founded by Samuel Smith, a brewer by trade, who left England to work as a gardener at the estate of George Fife Angus, founder of Angaston, in the heart of the Barossa Valley. Samuel Smith purchased 30 acres from his employer and planted his first vineyard in 1849. Today, Yalumba is still owned and managed by the Hill Smith family, five generations after its founding. In those 161 years, Yalumba has added vineyards across the many sub-zones and micro-climates of the Barossa—along with vineyards in the Riverland (“Oxford Landing”) and Coonawarra (“Menzies”). In 1975, Yalumba created its own commercial nursery operation. There is an experimental aspect to the nursery as new vine stocks are imported and better clones of classic varieties are isolated. The nursery enabled Yalumba to be the first to commercially produce Viognier in Australia and the variety has become a big part of Yalumba’s reputation—Yalumba’s Eden Valley Viognier was awarded a spot on Wine Spectator's annual Top 100 list for both the 2007 and 2008 vintages. Well before the nursery, however, Yalumba created its own cooperage house. A typical barrel producer air-dries its oak staves for 1.5-2 years to remove bitter, sappy flavors from the wood. Yalumba believes more time is better and owning their own cooperage enables them to air dry the wood for twice as long. Yalumba also prefers larger, customized “hogshead” barrels for most of their wines, making for subtler oak impressions in the finished wine.

Yalumba is also a leading innovator today in environmental initiatives. There is a “whole-of-business approach” at Yalumba which encompasses water management, biodiversity, carbon controls, sustainable farming and much more. Yalumba has been recognized with awards from the American EPA and England’s “Green Apple Award” for environmental leadership. Of course, this nurturing of the environment comes back to the vines. Robert Hill Smith (above, left) recently authored the Barossa Valley’s “Old Vine Charter” with the intent of preserving and promoting the many excellent old vine vineyard sites of his native Barossa Valley—Yalumba’s own holdings include many sites with vines from 75-120 years old.

At Hi-Time we’ve made Yalumba a cornerstone of our Australia wine selection for many years. The Hill Smith family produces excellent wines at all price points—from the tasty “Y Series” for everyday pleasure, to more serious wines from the “Barossa” range like Eden Valley Viognier and Barossa Shiraz-Viognier, and collectibles like “Signature” Cabernet-Shiraz and “Octavius” Shiraz. All the diverse pieces of the story—from the nursery and the cooperage to the old vines and deep stewardship of the land—have made Yalumba a truly great winery.

We lead off with the Yalumba “Y Series” wines. These are fresh and flavorsome fruit-driven wines of quality and consistency, highlighting the true regional character of South Australia’s most renowned viticultural areas and confirming Yalumba’s reputation as one of Australia’s finest independent winemakers.

**When is Yalumba not Yalumba? The creativity of Yalumba’s Hill Smith family extends beyond the Yalumba label. In addition to owning an experimental vine nursery, a barrel manufacturing facility, and a handful of other wineries around the world, the Hill Smiths own a few wineries in the Barossa region that they keep separate from Yalumba. Pewsey Vale and mesh (with Jeffrey Grosset) are Riesling-only labels. Both are iconic examples of Australia’s most prized white grape.

YALUMBA 2008 RIESLING “Y SERIES”

This impressive dry Riesling is sourced from premium fruit in the Eden Valley region and has simply blossomed in the bottle the past few months. Considering its modest price it speaks of a pricier wine with aromatics and flavors of lemon-lime citrus, stony minerals and florals. The palate is broad yet fresh and finishes with good length and acidity. This is a great intro to dry Riesling and a steal at this price.

$8.98 750ml [379189] 

YALUMBA 2009 VIOGNIER “Y SERIES”

Most probably are unaware that the folks at Yalumba have established themselves as one of the World’s leading producers of Viognier. Through years of planting different clones in various soil types and thoughtful experimentation, Yalumba has figured out how to produce the best possible Viognier wines. Their “Y Series” impresses with its distinctive nose of honeysuckle, lemon and lychee that continues on to a medium-bodied and flavorful palate that’s delicious and quite light on its feet. Definitely one of the best examples of Viognier you’re likely to come across at the price point.

$8.98 750ml [377377] 

YALUMBA 2008 SHIRAZ VIOGNIER “Y SERIES”

As much as we love all the “Y” series selections, we couldn’t pick all of them for this month’s cover as there’s just not enough space. So, when it came to the “Y” reds, this one really stole the show. It’s smooth and rich with loads of very tasty black cherry, blueberry and plum fruits along with perfectly integrated acidity and a long finish. A very impressive red with or without food.

$8.98 750ml [380045]  

Pewsey Vale** Riesling 2009, Eden Valley

Samuel Smith planted his first vineyard at Yalumba in 1849, but Pewsey Vale’s history is actually older. It was planted in 1847 at one of the highest reaches of the Eden Valley and was the first vineyard planted in this Barossa sub-zone. Pewsey Vale sits at nearly 2,000 feet of elevation and, with the cool winds of the Ocean to the South, it is considered too cool for red grapes. After falling into disuse in the Great Depression Era, Yalumba’s Wyndam Hill Smith became a partner and fully restored the property in 1961. Today, Yalumba’s Chief Winemaker (and white wine specialist) Louisa Rose makes the wines. Look for a very dry Riesling showing lime and citrus-zest components with a pretty almond blossom note complementing its flinty finish. This 2009 Pewsey Vale earned 91 points from the Wine Spectator. To give you an idea how highly regarded this wine is in Aussie wine circles, Australia’s top critic, James Halliday gave it 94 points.

WINE SPECTATOR 91 POINTS - "Light and refreshing, with pinpoint pear, apple and grapefruit flavors, the fruit echoing on the beautifully formed finish. Drink now through 2019. 2,000 cases imported."

$11.98 750ml [377270] 

Barossa & Eden Valley

In addition to Yalumba’s outstanding “Y” Series wines, we’ve also selected several from their outstanding “Barossa and Eden Valley” line. These represent Yalumba’s 160-year commitment to the Barossa and surrounding areas and their exceptional talent for producing such high quality regional wines at very reasonable prices. Their goal is to craft wines that capture varietal purity, regional character and overall balance.

YALUMBA 2008 CHARDONNAY, EDEN VALLEY “WILD FERMENT”

We’re so used to new world Chardonnays made in the “oaky, buttery” style with cultured yeasts that this one really surprised us. This Chardonnay is sourced from the Eden Valley and features the use of indigenous vineyard yeast, or ‘wild’ yeast in the fermentation process, which are present on the grapes at time of harvest. The many individual yeast strains each participate in the fermentation process by building layers of complexity and finesse into the wine. Palate structure is further enhanced through extended lees contact and regular lees stirring after completion of fermentation. Approximately 40% of the blend was fermented and matured in new, one- and two-year-old fine-grained French barriques which provide additional fragrance and texture to the wine without imparting oaky aromas and flavors!

This sleeper Chardonnay offers up aromas of lifted citrus zest, fresh quince and subtle notes of nougat and almonds. Finely structured and seamless, the palate is all about texture. Creamy nougat, citrus and hints of white nectarine combine elegantly with the subtle nuances of French oak and a restrained citrus acidity for a lingering finish. A refreshing addition to the cellar and a must for the oak averse!

$12.98 750ml [380044] 

YALUMBA 2009 VIOGNIER, EDEN VALLEY

Anyone interested in discovering what great, value-priced Viognier tastes like will want to pick up a bottle or three of this amazing white wine. In our opinion, this Viognier in particular has become the standard by which we judge all others at the surrounding price points. Like the Chardonnay, this wine is fermented entirely with indigenous yeasts which maintains complexity and layers of flavor. The winery sums it up nicely: “The 2008 vintage has created delicate and aromatic Viognier wines. The color is pale gold with green highlights, with a nose of pure aromas displaying apricot nectar, lifted honeysuckle and orange oil perfume. The palate is long, rich and luscious, with intense stone fruit - particularly white peach and apricot flavours, finishing with an aromatic citrus freshness. This wine will continue to grow and develop in the bottle, firstly showing enhanced apricots and spice, then after a couple of years, honey flavors and toast.”

$14.98 750ml [377276] 

YALUMBA 2008 GRENACHE “BUSH VINE”

Both staff members and customers who attended our recent Australian wine bar event can attest: this perennial favorite continues to deliver. This juicy treat is sheer pleasure to drink as it offers up bright, savory red fruits, berry and plum with a smooth and polished palate and an overall freshness rarely found in new world Grenache (especially at this price). Yalumba has managed to avoid excessive alcohol and palate heat often associated with Grenache and we think you’ll be as impressed as we are. It definitely over-delivers and has become a huge staff favorite in recent months.

$12.98 750ml [378925] 

YALUMBA 2008 CABERNET SHIRAZ “THE SCRIBBLER”

The Scribbler is Yalumba’s homage to and youthful version of their pricier and highly regarded “Signature” red blend. It belies a much pricier wine and we were really surprised to find out we could offer it at this ridiculously low price. The Scribbler is packed with mouth-filling flavors of black currant, plum, dark chocolate and spice enveloped by smooth tannins. It’s Yalumba’s answer to the many in search of great, high quality Cabernet-based wines at low prices. It’s a real achievement in our estimation and a wine that’s not to be missed.

$12.98 750ml [380043] 

YALUMBA 2006 CABERNET “THE CIGAR” COONAWARRA

Looking for a “WOW” Cabernet? Look no further. ‘The Cigar’ is a new wine from the Yalumba Coonawarra Estate. Sibling to ‘The Menzies’, this wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon harvested from The Menzies Estate vineyards. It is named for the unique cigar-shaped strip of rich red terra rossa soil which defines Coonawarra’s wine region.

This one caught us completely by surprise. We love great Coonawarra Cabernets but they’re really tough to come by, especially at this price. The weather conditions there make it difficult to avoid green and sometimes vegetal flavors so we jump when we come across good Cabernet from the zone. “The Cigar’ is classic Coonawarra that sports very pure, ripe black currant fruit laced with notes of dried tobacco and minerals. It’s rich and juicy on the palate with wonderful mouth-feel and texture, finely grained tannins and a long lasting finish. We were thinking $30 for this one and boy were we wrong. What a smokin’ deal!!

$19.98 750ml [380046] 

Hand Picked Selections

YALUMBA 2007 SHIRAZ VIOGNIER “HAND PICKED”

We’d be remiss not to include one of Yalumba’s outstanding “Hand Picked” wines in our lineup so we’ve opted for their wonderful Shiraz Viognier. These wines are a labor of love for the estate and are made from very select, hand-harvested grapes. The winery sums it up nicely: This is the second successive vintage of the Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier where we began utilising the skins only of the Viognier grapes in addition to the traditional method of co-fermenting select parcels of both Shiraz and Viognier grapes together. The skins on their own can often provide even more powerful aroma and texture and this helps create another dimension of flavour and complexity to this wine. This Shiraz Vigonier wine is full depth red in color with purple hues, and shows briar and violets, mocha coffee, cedar, anise and a subtle Viognier fragrance. The palate is medium to full-bodied, and has a spicy and savory texture which finishes with seamless powdery tannins.” All true but what we love most is the scrumptious Barossa Valley black fruit flavors!

$24.98 750ml [377538] 

mesh 2008 Riesling Eden Valley**

LeBron James recently thought it would be a good idea to start playing ball with Dwayne Wade in Miami, but we think this pairing of super-stars at mesh is arguably bigger. Geoffrey Grosset is the undisputed king of Aussie Riesling, while Robert Hill Smith’s family has been making Riesling in the Eden Valley for six generations. The trick here is that Hill Smith and Grosset make two separate wines, harvesting in alternate rows from 3 vineyards in Eden Valley, then “mesh” them together before bottling. We found this wine benefited immensely from 10-15 minutes aeration, but given just a little time, we think you’ll have something special in your glass.

WINE SPECTATOR 91 POINTS - “Dry and bracing, this brims with pineapple, green apple and floral aromas and flavors, tightly packed in a taut frame. Needs time. Best from 2011 through 2018.”

$16.98 750ml [377852] 

Yalumba Antique Reserve Tawny 375ml

Though we are months away from "Port Season," this decadent little masterpiece by David Zimmerman is just too fabulous not to mention. It is a 21-year-old solera that combines old vine Barossa Valley Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre and Muscadelle with such traditional Port varietals as Touriga, Tinta Coa and Tina Molle. In the glass it reveals a deep amber hue and proffers a classic nose of spice cake, wet varnish and plum pudding. The palate, which is thick but remarkably un-cloying, delivers big time fig, date, nut and toffee flavors that glide on and on. Truly jaw-dropping depth and complexity for a song and a definite "must buy" for cigar lovers.

$14.98 375ml [377420] 

Single Site Wines

This is a recent endeavor by Yalumba to produce individual vineyard wines that serve as statements of the Barossa region, grape varietal and specific site and terroir. The Hill Smith Family has embarked on the production of several single site wines from some of the very best fruit sources available to them in the Barossa Valley. This project arose out of their passion to extol the distinctiveness of the region and its specific zones. We are fortunate to have been offered two of these outstanding, limited production wines from our friends at Yalumba and are pleased to offer them to our valued customers.

YALUMBA 2005 SHIRAZ “FROMM VINEYARD” LYNDOCH, BAROSSA VALLEY

The Single Site Lyndoch Shiraz comes from the Fromm family vineyard on the northern outskirts of Lyndoch. This Shiraz block, known as the Old Block 1, is of unknown clones and was planted in 1935 on its own roots. This block, of nearly 2 acres, slopes gently from north to south, with the rows running from north to south as well. The vineyard soil profile changes from red brown earth at the northern end, to a heavy textured soil in the south.

This is a Shiraz that begs to be taken seriously and we confirmed this recently as the wine blossomed after being open for 24 hours. Still youthful and restrained upon opening, the wine is juicy, complex and deceptively long on the palate and in need of a bit of cellaring to really strut its stuff. There’s ample, concentrated Barossa Valley fruit here and wonderful acidic structure that’s a refreshing departure from the numerous port-like, overripe fruit bombs that pervade this region. A very impressive Barossa Shiraz.

$59.98 750ml [380047] 

YALUMBA 2005 “HAHN FARM VINEYARD” LIGHT PASS, BAROSSA VALLEY

This exclusive single site wine comes from the Hahn Family vineyard at Light’s Pass on the Barossa Valley Floor. Throughout the years Yalumba has worked alongside Norm Hahn and his fruit has consistently been classified as exceptional, earning the highest grower ratings. This Shiraz is sourced from the oldest patch on the vineyard, known as Block D, which was planted in 1970 on its own roots.

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS -  “Opaque purple-colored, the bouquet reveals a hint of eucalyptus, spice box, game, bacon, scorched earth, blueberry, and plum. This is followed by an already complex Shiraz with gobs of spicy black fruits, notes of earth and chocolate, outstanding depth and concentration, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. It will benefit from several years of additional cellaring and offer prime drinking from 2012 to 2025.”

$59.98 750ml [379313] 

Yalumba Collectibles

Yalumba’s top wines have been among Australia’s elite collectibles for many years. These wines have density and richness, but also have an elegance, structure, and age-ability that makes them quite distinct from most of the “big score” Aussie wines on the market. In a word, these top wines are classic.

Yalumba “Signature” Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2004

This was the first of Yalumba’s elite wines—a blend of best barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz first bottled in 1962. We’ve had the chance to taste older vintages and there is no question the wine has the length and purity to age for twenty plus years.

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - “Opaque purple-colored, it presents a perfume of pain grille, earth, tar, vanilla, pepper, blueberry, and blackberry. Opulent on the palate, it has gobs of ripe fruit, complexity, superb balance, and exceptional length. It will improve over the next 8-10 years in the cellar and drink well through 2030.”

$41.98 750ml [380048] 

Yalumba FDR1A 2004

This 2004 FDR1A is the first vintage sold in America, but Yalumba first made the FDR1A in 1974. This “Fine Dry Red” is basically a parallel version of the “Signature”—a different blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz pulled from the same top vineyard selections. While there is an elegance and restraint to the “Signature” that recalls a fine Bordeaux, FDR1A is flamboyant, darkly colored, and more fruit forward. The 2004 FDR1A was one of our wines of the year for 2009 and we’re glad we were able to secure some more for this feature. Rare and special.

$33.98 750ml [379305] 

Yalumba “Octavius” Shiraz 2004

This Shiraz may already have 6 years on it, but “Octavius” is so stuffed with flavor and intensity that it is really just a baby at this stage. Early drinking can definitely be fun here. If you don’t have another four to five years to wait, we recommend you have a decanter and a toothbrush handy.

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - “Inky black/purple, it coats the glass with legs. It has an alluring perfume of toasty oak, plum, licorice, blueberry, bacon, blackberry, and a hint of chocolate. Voluptuous and youthful, it has intense flavors, plenty of well-concealed structure, and a 60-second finish. Cellar it for 8-10 years and drink it through 2035.”

$87.98 750ml [378616] 

Yalumba “The Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2001

The rarest of Yalumba’s elite wines is a true reserve—culled from the best 20 barrels in the winery and only produced on the very best vintages. Between the release of the 1992 vintage and today there have been a total of five releases of The Reserve. It definitely shows Yalumba’s preference for age-ability and structure over fruit bomb flamboyance.

WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - “This stunning Shiraz is one of the greatest wines made in South Australia. The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz The Reserve (a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Shiraz) boasts superb intensity, richness, body, and power. Smoky, truffle-like aromas intermixed with blackberries, cassis, burning embers, charcoal, and licorice soar from the glass of this opaque purple-colored, full-throttle, meaty, super-rich and concentrated wine. Superbly well-balanced, it is a candidate for 20-30 years of aging.”

$112.00 750ml [379654]