2019 Yalumba The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra

Gold at the 2023 Royal Sydney Wine Show, Royal Queensland Wine Awards and National Wine Show

Gold at the 2022 Perth Royal Wine Awards

Gold at the 2021 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards and National Wine Show

As one would expect, this is a punchy, frisky, menacing wine with more overt power and attitude. Interestingly, the oak sits behind the buttressed wall of delicious, toothsome Cabernet fruit. Yalumba’s oak game has seen so much augmentation and positive change over the last decade, and this wine is allowed the space to breathe and showcase its fruit, which is such a joy to behold. It’s much more rigid and structured than the 2014, but it shows a similar palate silhouette (and most likely a similar drinking timeline); there is serious potential here. This is another outstanding vintage for The Menzies, and it should retail for around £45 when it arrives, making this one of the finest value Cabs on the planet.

18.5+/20 points Matthew Jukes, October 2024

Medium deep crimson. Intense cassis, dark cherry, mulberry, vanilla, mint aromas with hints of stonefruit. Expressive claret-style with pure blackcurrant, dark cherry fruits, classical grainy firm tannins, some roasted chestnut vanilla notes and well-integrated fresh linear acidity. Lovely mid-palate inky density and complexity. Finishes cedary/ spicy with graphite/ leafy notes. A reference Coonawarra Cabernet that should continue to age very well. 18 months maturation in 20% new and seasoned French and Hungarian Hogsheads. Drink to 2035.

96 points Andrew Caillard, April 2024

Lovely colour, deep plummy red and youthful. Aromas of blackberry, bramble, ferrous earth, menthol, sweet, nutty oak, satsuma plum and dried flowers. Shapely, mouth-filling and concentrated in flavour. There's a drive of briary black fruits, a kick of oak and some very firm and textured tannins at play. The length is impressive. Quite classic Coonawarra cab. Drink to 2040.

95 points Aaron Brasher for The Real Review, July 2025

Prune plums and blackcurrants. Violets, lavender leaf and black cherry. Olive tapenade, rosemary and crushed black peppercorn. The wine is held together by a fine mesh of grape and subtle oak tannins, intertwined with pure Coonawarra cabernet fruit. It’s chiselled in its dimension, and you might miss it, as it has such great drinking pleasure. Fruit purity, lovingly handled equals total seduction. Drink to 2033.

95 points Shanteh Wale for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2024

Matured in Yalumba made barrels. “A strong year for cabernet in Coonawarra”, offers Louisa Rose, “a warm vintage but not crazy”. So mellow, a sense of distinct control and refinement, tension and precision a force to be reckoned with here. Regal. Dark cherry, blackcurrant, black olive, bay leaf, salt bush, feels refreshing in its way and so very much in the medium weight zone. Quite minerally, touches of pleasing malty woody spices too. Finishes long and distinctly with crushed rock minerality. True charm. Drink to 2040.

95 points The Wine Front, June 2024

From The Menzies Estate vineyard situated in the heart of Coonawarra. Blackcurrant, bay leaf, pan juice umami and whispers of mint are followed by earth, graphite and an underpinning of cedar. A very gratifying mix of fruit and umami savouriness showing nice lift and glide through the palate which is full bodied but fresh. Blackcurrant, cedar, liquorice root and earth make way for tinges of graphite and mocha before gravelly tannins and a burgeoning acidity wrap it up and pull it long through the mouth. Very long, in fact. There’s a lot to like here, for its elegance, savoury complexity, and long, even length. This will show beautifully following a decade in the cellar. Right now, however, It’s screaming out for a perfectly cooked piece of eye fillet. Drink to 2034.

94+ points Tom Kline for Wine Pilot, September 2024

Blackcurrants, black beans, bitter chocolate, tobacco leaves and cardamom on the nose. It’s firm and chewy with a full body and fantastic intensity. Dense black fruit at the core, framed by firm but very fine and polished tannins. Try from 2025.

94 points Claire Nesbitt for James Suckling, November 2024

The 2019 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon hails from a cooler season than was experienced by the Barossa, but it still was a warm and dry season. This vintage was picked a month earlier than the 2014 tasted alongside. On the nose, the wine leads with cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco, leafy mint and black pepper. In the mouth, the tannins are firm and dry, but the fruit has lovely freshness and tension with the acidity. This is very good. It's lighter than I expected from the season, but very well handled. Drink to 2039.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2024

Yalumba is a historic wine company established in 1849 remaining in the hands of the Hill-Smith family six generations on. The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon was first released in 1987 and named after Sir Robert Menzies, honouring the former Prime Minister's deep affection for Coonawarra.

The grapes are sourced from Yalumba's Menzies Vineyard, blending fruit from blocks planted in 1994 and 1996. Planted on the famed terra rossa soils over limestone, the cool maritime climate and long ripening season allow the grapes to develop intense flavour while retaining freshness and structure.

This would be a good match to roast lamb, dry aged rib eye or a venison pie.