Chateau Yaldara was an excellent wine tasting!

Chateau Yaldara is located in the heart of the Barossa Valley.  Our visit was towards the end of the summer, and it was turning into a warm and balmy day.  The grounds are expansive and large, and as you enter the Cellar Door, you are in for a treat with the old world charm of its expansive tasting counters across two sides of the room.  The wine was pretty amazing too!  This post is to share our wine tasting experience at Chateau Yaldara.

Background

You don’t have to go far from Adelaide to gain access to stellar wine in South Western Australia. First wine region of note is Barossa Valley. This is a warmer region characterized by the red varietal Shiraz and the white varietal, Semillon.  

East of Barossa Valley is Eden Valley.  This is where you’ll find premium Rieslings abundant with intense flavours.  This region is in a cool to moderate climate with varying altitudes used for the vines. You will also see Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in this region. 

South of Barossa and Eden Valley you have Adelaide Hills.  This is a more moderate climate and further south again you have McLaren Vale, which experiences afternoon breezes off the water. (ocean)

The above wine regions are all part of South Australia. 

Barossa Valley

The Shiraz of the Barossa Valley is intensely fruity, earthy, and with spicy notes.  They typically develop notes of leather as they age. The region itself is moving towards less extraction in the winemaking process.

The Semillon wines have low sugar levels with high acidity and are typically harvested early. They are produced in an inert vessel and they are light in alcohol and neutral in flavour.  When bottled, and with bottle age over time you see honey and toast developing.  This is more into the 20+ years. These Semillon’s are highly sought after.

The Vineyard cycle in the southern hemisphere is as follows: 

• Budburst: September to October 
• Early shoot and leaf growth:  September to November
• Flowering and fruit set: November to December 
• Veraison, and berry ripening: January to March 
• Harvest: March to April 
• Winter dormancy: July to September 

Wine Tasting at Chateau Yaldara

As we stepped into the Cellar Door we were first led on a tour through the back cellar rooms and tanks.  Large barriques and more moderate-sized oak barrels were everywhere, along with boxed up cases of wine being prepared for shipment.

On our return to the tasting room, our group approached the tasting bar.

NV Chateau Yaldara Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir

A pale gold sparkling with aromas of apple, lemon, yeast and toast.  On the palate, additional notes of pear, honey and butter.  Dry, crisply acidic, with a delicate mousse.  Medium plus flavour and a medium finish.  This sparkling was a good start to our tasting.

Chateau Yaldara 2022 CY Shiraz

A deep purple red wine with aromas of pepper, red cherry and blackberry.  On the palate, the spicy white pepper is vivid along with black cherry and vanilla.  A dry red with pronounced tannins and medium acidity.  The finish was medium minus – an acceptable shiraz but without the typical jamminess of the region.

Chateau Yaldara ‘Pappy’ Shiraz

A deep purple red wine with aromas of blackberries, pepper and vanilla.  On the palate additional hamminess, chocolate and rich vanilla and earth notes.  Dry, balanced acidity with medium plus tannins, this shiraz will continue to age well for many more years.  Pronounced flavour, pronounced finish – an outstanding Shiraz. 

Chateau Yaldara ‘Pappy’ Cabernet Sauvignon

A deep ruby red wine.  Aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, and an herbaceous quality.  On the palate these same flavours are complemented by mint and mushroom.   Dry with high acidity and pronounced tannins, this cab had pronounced flavours and a long finish.  Very good.

NV Moscato

A pale yellow white wine.  Aroma and palate flavours of apricot, nectarine and peach, as well as smoke, vanilla and honey.  Off dry with medium acidity, this is an excellent moscato to enjoy on the patio on a warm summer day.

NV Classic Tawny

This fortified wine has a 10 year average age.  A pale tawny in colour, with aromas of brown sugar, orange and nutmeg.  On the palate additional notes of cinnamon and apricot.  Sweet, but not cloying.  High alcohol with medium tannins and a medium plus finish.  Very smooth and very good.

Chateau Yaldara 20 Year Old Tawny (2019)

A medium tawny with aromas of apricot, honey and bread.  On the palate, these notes are repeated along with heady cinnamon.  Sweet, with balanced acidity and a strong punch from the aging.  It was a treat to be given the opportunity to taste this – it was not in the normal tasting!  

Summary of Chateau Yaldara Wine Tasting

The experience at Chateau Yaldara was wonderful.  Another morning tasting, fortunately the wines were very good.  The pours were a little larger than normal, but, we won’t quibble when the wine is good and we can always throw if we need to.  The Shiraz and Tawny were the stars here, and we very much enjoyed the dialogue and descriptions from the cellar manager!

Check out our other wine tasting experiences here!