Yalumba

Rare & Fine The Menzies

Yalumba The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon bottle image

Since 1987, the Hill-Smith family has counted itself amongst those fortunate enough to produce an estate grown Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. To own a vineyard upon that famous terra rossa soil over limestone is the holy grail of all Cabernet Sauvignon purists. Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies’ reputation as one of the best wines of its type to emerge from the region – a wine of longevity, elegance and structure.

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Wine Production

The Menzies is made by small batch winemaking, maintaining the integrity of each eight-tonne vineyard parcel through vinification and initial barrel maturation. The grapes were crushed to small static fermenters where the liberation of colour and tannin is controlled either by plunging the skins, irrigating the fermenting wine over the cap or draining all the wine from the skins then flooding it back. Selected parcels are given extended skin contact before pressing. Matured for 18 months in 34% new French hogsheads & barriques, 2% new Hungarian hogsheads, balance in 1 year and older American, French & Hungarian hogsheads & barriques.

Tasting Notes

Full depth in colour with a plum red hue. The bouquet leads with violet and lilac floral notes to the tangy counterpoint of seaspray and pepper. The palate is rich and powerful; red fruits and dark chocolate on a robust tannin framework. The finish is long, complex and well worth contemplating.

Food Pairing

A char-grilled rib-eye on the bone is an excellent food accompaniment.

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Wine Production

Tasting Notes

Food Pairing

A char-grilled rib-eye on the bone is an excellent food accompaniment.

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Bottle Shot Acclaim

93+

“The 2014 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon leads with cassis and dark chocolate, dried mint and dark spice. In the mouth, the wine is full of cigar box, tobacco and cracked black pepper, with a cocoa-laden finish. It is fresh and balanced and has plenty of time left to go. It is powerful but not blocky.”

POINTS

"Elegance is the key to this wine. It is Old World in its restraint, with an earthy/savoury background to the blackcurrant and mulberry fruit, bay leaf and black olive adding their bit. The oak is restrained, the fine tannins likewise."

James Halliday

POINTS

"A deeply inviting nose of blueberry, purple cherry and cassis. Plenty of violets as well as stony layer. The palate has the same pond of creamed caramel oak influence. Tannins are approachable with plenty of engagingly chewy presence. Best around 2022 and for a decade past."

James Suckling

POINTS

“This Coonawarra Cab comes from a 45-year-old vineyard in the region’s famed terra rossa soils. A little shy at first, a decanter is recommended. It opens to an intensely herbal nose, swimming with mint, black olive tapenade, currant, black cherry, dried flowers and a medicinal and charred oak note. The palate is rich and mouthcoating, cinched by dusty, muscular tannins. It lacks some of the elegance and complexity of other top Cabs but is nonetheless highly cellarworthy.”

POINTS

“Sourced from Coonawarra, Yalumba's 2014 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon boasts appealing aromas of mint, cedar, cassis and dark chocolate. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied and sturdily built, with a linear palate buttressed by firm wood and grape tannins. Built for fatty meats and/or time in the cellar, this six-year-old wine still comes across as youthful and not-quite-ready to drink.”

POINTS

“An elegant red, with currant and strawberry flavors showing restraint, accented by loam and toasted herb notes. Shows off sage, rosemary and mineral details. A spicy tobacco hint lingers. The tannins are firm but never get in the way of expression.”

“Lustrous, deep garnet. Notable aromatic maturity, with old tobacco and some beefy notes to the fore, supported by minty, fresh and dried, rich cassis, chocolate, dust and smoky oak. Powdery tannins, resolving to velvet – a lovely texture. Plenty of body and richness to work in harmony with the wine’s firm structure. Creamy, spicy length. Lovely Coonawarra Cab that’s just starting to drink well now.” - 17.5 out of 20

Jancis Robinson

“Deep black-garnet. Tomato leaf, tobacco, slightly baked red and black fruit – pyrazine influenced. Firm, chalky tannins, spice, tobacco leaf and cassis. Peppery and a bit green.” (16 points out of 20)

Jancis Robinson

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:

The Menzies Vineyard

Soil composition:

Terra Rossa and Limestone

Elevation:

150 feet

Average Vine Age:

35 years

Certifying Organizations:

ISO14001; Entwine Australia

Sustainability Certification:

EPA Acredited Sustainability Licence

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Fermentation container:

Stainless steel tanks

Malolactic fermentation:

Yes

Fining agent:

Vegan

Type of aging container:

hogsheads & barriques

Type of oak:

Hungarian, French and American

Length of aging before bottling:

23 months

Age of Aging Container:

18 months

Analytical Data

pH level:

3.5

Acidity:

6.3 g/L

Alcohol:

14 %

Residual sugar:

0.5 g/L

About the Vineyard

The Menzies is in the heart of Coonawarra terra rossa country. The vineyard site is reasonably level, with the defining terroir difference coming from the soils. Our soil is red sandy loam over limestone, which is classic Cabernet Sauvignon dirt. Most of the vines for Yalumba The Menzies were planted in 1985 and are trellised tall with wide rows. Bunches are usually small with small berries giving a concentration that favours the creation of full bodied reds.

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