2015 Yalumba The Scribbler Cabernet Shiraz Yalumba Barossa Australia 750 ml

Crafted by Barossa royalty, the 2015 Yalumba Scribbler is a rich, ripe, seamlessly constructed red blend, and one that consistently ranks as one of South Australia’s greatest bargains.

An “Aussie icon” according to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Yalumba is the master of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blends, expertly playing the spice and body of the Rhône variety off the structure and extract of the Bordeaux grape. Their flagship Signature cuvée, made from the classic grape duo and first released in 1962, stands tall in the pantheon of Australian legends alongside Penfolds Grange and Henschke’s Hill of Grace. 

The Scribbler—a Baby Signature, if you will—is a more accessible version that benefits from the same craftsmanship, bloodline, and vineyards, yet retails for 60% less, making it the smart buyer’s choice to sample Barossa lavishness at its best. The Hill-Smith family behind Yalumba leveraged generations of skill and some of the region’s oldest vineyards to produce a stunning value that won 94 points at the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards.

We were so taken with the soul-warming, winter blanket vibes of this classic, which is densely layered with plums, blackberries, and coffee, we flexed our buying power and locked it down before anyone else could get to it.

Only an estate with the chops of Yalumba—a James Halliday five-star historic winery continuously run by one family since 1849—could pull this off for the price. 

English brewer Samuel Smith founded Yalumba (aboriginal for “all the land around”) in the mid-19th century, planting 30 acres of vineyards by moonlight with his son. 170 years and five generations later, the Hill-Smiths are one of Australia’s First Families of Wine, and Samuel Smith’s descendants treat the land like a precious heirloom. They have access to some of Barossa’s most ancient vines, including Shiraz planted in 1908 and a Grenache bush that dates to 1889. For every hectare of cultivated vineyard they own, they maintain a hectare of native vegetation to promote sustainable viticulture. Thanks to almost two centuries of effort, “Yalumba is producing some of Australia’s best red wines,” says Vinous.

2015 in Barossa saw reduced crops and berry size, resulting in concentrated flavors and aromas in the grapes, while a long summer with cool nights preserved freshness and zingy acidity. Cabernet and Shiraz were hand-picked from select parcels; eleven months of aging in a mix of French, American, and Hungarian oak suffused the blend with vanilla and cedar.

Inky, juicy, and expressive, this is pure fun to drink, and at just $20, you can pour with abandon.