Yalumba 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Not cheap, but damn tasty

This 2005 Yalumba reserve from the longest-standing independent winery in the Barossa valley is a delicious specimen.

Huge legs, high alcohol. Big bold fruit opens up well after 90 minutes in the decanter.

Now it's smoothed out a lot the length is a lot more obvious. It still packs a velvet punch though.

It is, however, over priced. At £20 I'd be buying more. £30 is a bit much.

For five pounds more than this wine (£35) you can buy a Chateau Ormes De Pez 1995 from Majestic.

But now having written that I feel ungrateful.

Yalumba is independent and we should support them.

I guess one reason some Bordeaux left bank wines are cheaper is due to the fact that many are owned by big companies with deep pockets.

It's also a really distinctive wine. It couldn't be French for a moment, and it has a length, complexity and finish that Chilean and Argentinian wines just can't match.

I had a tasting of this Yalumba wine and many others from the region last year at Planet of the Grapes in London.

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon reserve is wonderful wine. Expensive at £50 though.

We had a wonderful evening with the head wine maker who was incredibly entertaining.

Another reason perhaps to support independent wine makers: they may be more likely to have independently-minded folks able to experiment.