Single Bottle Review, Tasting Events

Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon [Wine Review]

I recently attended Liberty Wines Ireland’s Autumn Portfolio Tasting, and while I focused on new additions to their portfolio (watch this space), I couldn’t resist trying an iconic Aussie red, Balnaves Coonawarra Cab

Coonawarra

Coonawarra, as some regular readers might know, is my favourite red wine region in the world. It is home to one of the most identifiable and excellent Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, though  Shiraz, red blends and Chardonnay also do well here. What is the Coonawarra style? Basically it’s blackcurrant and mint / menthol / eucalyptus, all entwined around a robust structure. The wines often need several years to approach their drinking windows, but then “all good things…” More accessible styles are also made, to be drunk when younger; for example, Katnook Estate’s Founders Block and Wynns’ The Gables.

So what makes Coonawarra so special? It’s a combination of things, but principly it’s the soil – terra rossa over limestone – and a relatively (for South Australia) cool climate. Terra Rossa is a clay and silt dominated soil that drains well and has a neutral pH. The Coonawarra strip is a cigar shape which follows the main Riddoch highway north to south – or more accurately, the highway follows the top of the ridge as it’s the firmest and best-drained route.

Grapes were first planted by John Riddoch (after who the highway was named) back in 1890, though until the middle of the twentieth century they were mainly used for Shiraz-based fortified wines. This situation began to change with the purchase of Riddoch’s original cellars and some land by Samuel Wynn in 1951. Along with Penfolds, Wynns was a major force behind the transformation of the Australian wine industry and the move away from fortifieds. Wynns Estate’s top Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is also named after John Riddoch.

Balnaves

The Balnaves family planted their first vines in the south of Coonawarra in 1975. Since then they have expanded their holdings to 58 hectares, of which around 40 hectares are Cabernet Sauvignon. For the first twenty years they were highly regarded contract growers rather than full-on wine producers, but that changed with the recruitment of former Wynns winemaker Pete Bissell and construction of their winery. He “retired” in 2020 but still works as consultant winemaker with head winemaker Jacinta Jenkins. The Balnaves family are still involved, as second generation Doug and his children Pete and Kirsty run the business and manage a further 300 hectares of Coonawarra vines for other growers.

Their vines are organised into small blocks of one to two hectares, depending on aspect, vine age, grape variety, specific soil types and other qualities. Picking and vinifying them separately gives the winemakers a detailed palette from which to build complex and appropriately structured wines. The best Cabernet grapes in the best years go into a bottle called “The Tally”, named after the book for recording the number of sheep sheared by a shearer in a two hour period. When I visited various Coonawarra cellar doors back in 2000 I overhead locals discussing their livestock as well as their vines – both are part of the way of life there.

Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 bottle shot

For the 2019 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were selected from the Dead Morris and Old Paulownia blocks, co-fermented with 4.8% Dunstan Petit Verdot. Maturation was for 18 months in French oak barrels, just over half of which was new. This oak regime does not overwhelm the fruit, however, but rather helps to add structure, perfume and elegance.

The wine is classic, and classy…somewhere in between the restraint of Pauillac and the power of South Australia’s warmer regions. The nose has intense notes of cassis and blackberry, surrounded with pencil shavings and vanilla. There’s no mistaking this for anything other than Cabernet. These notes continue onto the palate which is rich but not jammy – acidity and tannins keep everything in order.

A fantastic example of Coonawarra Cabernet!

  • ABV: 14.5%
  • RS: 0.4 g/L
  • RRP: €41.99
  • Stockists: wineonline.ie, Thomas Woodberrys Wines, Blackrock Cellar, The 1601, Matson’s
  • Other Balnaves wines available in Ireland: Coonawarra Cabernet / Merlot (blend), “The Tally” Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon