Balnaves

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.