2018 Balnaves ‘The Tally’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra

Balnaves was established in 1975 in the southern part of the Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip. The family has been associated with the district since 1855, but commercially available in the market since 1990. Every wine they produce is exclusively from Coonawarra. Their philosophy is towards convention with a focus to maximise and build complexity and structure in all the wines. ‘The Tally’ is an expression of tradition, the Balnaves see the wine as the ultimate achievement for their company. The story goes that Doug Balnaves was a shearer of Merino sheep. A shearer is paid by the number of sheep he shears which is counted every two hours. The tally is recorded in the Tally Book and the higher the tally, the greater the recognition from peers. Why do we like it? This wine is reflecting the warmth and the dry conditions of the year. Tannins are soft and silky as the Cabernet Sauvignon from the ‘Dead Morris’ vineyard was hand-picked and co-fermented with Petit-Verdot at full ripeness. With 16 days on skins before pressing to oak, it was then matured 15 months in French barriques. It’s a wine with deep ruby red colour, notes of black fruits, plenty of spices and forest floor. Charred bell peppers, smoke, tobacco and leather. This wine is starting to show beautiful tertiaries aromas, rewarding us for allowing it to age since 2018.  Grape           Cabernet Sauvignon Country        Australia                                Region          Coonawarra                            Vintage         2018