Balnaves, `The Tally` Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2021
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BA106B21 | 6 x 75 | Natural Cork | Available |
Producer
The Balnaves family vineyard is at the southern end of the famous Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip, where the ‘terra rossa’ soils are rich in red clay and silt. Planted in 1975, the vineyard is now 58 hectares in size (70% of which is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon) and has been in the family for three generations. Today, Doug Balnaves, together with his son Pete and daughter Kirsty, runs the Balnaves vineyard while managing another 300 hectares for other growers in the heart of Coonawarra.
Balnaves’ fruit has always been excellent, yet they didn’t make their own wines until 1995 when they hired Pete Bissell (ex-Wynns) as their winemaker. Pete retired in June 2020, though he still works with Balnaves as a consultant alongside winemaker Maddie LeMire, who joined the team in 2025. The Balnaves’ vineyard is divided into small blocks, between one and two hectares in size, which are managed separately according to the specific needs of each area. This gives numerous blending components, resulting in layered and complex wines.
The Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot skilfully blends ripe black fruit with toasty oak, while the Cabernet Sauvignon, intense and poised, illustrates beautifully the balance obtained in these wines. The ‘Tally’ (a reference to the number of sheep you could shear in a day) is their top wine and is consistently rated as one of Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignons.
Vineyards
Among his many pursuits, Doug Balnaves was a shearer of Merino sheep. A shearer in Australia is paid by the number of sheep he shears. Counted every two hour period, the Tally is recorded in the Tally book. The higher the Tally, the greater the recognition among his peers for skill and hard work. As an expression of this tradition, the Balnaves family see the wine 'The Tally' as the ultimate achievement for their company. Balnaves' 35 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are split into sub blocks (some just 1 hectare each), on the basis of soil, clone variation, trellis type etc. This enables Balnaves to program different treatments for these smaller areas. Supplementary water can be supplied using a central computer system, but at least one third of the vineyard has not been watered for five years. The vines are trained on a single wire.
Vintage
The growing season for the 2021 vintage began with cooler temperatures but no frost events. As spring arrived, warm weather resulted in an easy, fast, and even flowing with no disease pressure. Summer was mild which created a long and slow ripening period, with some warmer days which assisted tannin ripeness. The resulting wines have excellent colour, depth, and flavour intensity.
Vinification
Both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot were handpicked before being co-fermented with an extended maceration on the skins for 30 days. The wine was then aged in 39% new French oak barriques for 13 months.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
Deep rich red in colour, the nose is perfumed with perfectly ripened dark blackberry, mulberry and cassis fruit, and fine vanilla and coffee bean imparted by the French oak. The palate is rich with fleshy cassis and blackberry fruit. The finish is long and textured with fine, grainy grape tannins. This wine is complex and tightly structured and made to cellar with confidence.
Alcohol (ABV)
14.5%
Acidity
6.34 g/l
Residual Sugar
0.5 g/l
pH
3.41
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balnaves | Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon | BA101 | R | Factsheet | |
| Coonawarra Cabernet/Merlot | BA102 | R | Factsheet |