Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

The Balnaves vineyard comprises twelve blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon vines of varying acreage and vine age, the oldest planted in 1975. These blocks are divided again into smaller parcels of between one and two hectares, following soil types and topography, with approximately forty Cabernet Sauvignon fermentations being conducted each vintage. The best of these ferments are set aside during vintage for the Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon and in outstanding years, the Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. 

"Full bodied, but fresh and lively with positive structural fine grained tannins and plenty of length."  Gary Walsh

"Deep rich red, red tinge. Fine aromas of ripe cassis, liquorice and spicy leather combine with fine smokey French oak. Somewhat closed at this stage but tightly packed and balanced. Medium to full bodied, with a solid fruit core that is ripe and defined and runs through the palate from start to the fine grainy tannin finish. A very fine vintage 2008 wine with excellent tannin, flavour and balance. Hold."  Balnaves

Expert reviews

"Bright purple-crimson; a more classic Balnaves style, although very intense and long; cassis and blackcurrant fruit has an intriguing web of spice, briar and leather underlying the primary fruit; it has literally devoured the French oak in which it spent 16 months, and has excellent tannins. ProCork. 14.5% alc. Drink Now - 2033 "  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points

"Rich smelling wine, but has a certain freshness and vigour, which from what I've tasted to date, seems be a trait of the 2008 Coonawarra vintage. Fruit profile would best be described as being like blackberries and dark cherries and there's dark chocolate, toasty spiced vanilla oak with a little mint and sweet leather. Full bodied, but fresh and lively (perhaps too much so at this stage as the acidity looks a bit too enthusiastic and nippy), with positive structural fine grained tannins and plenty of length - no holes along the way. Needs time for the acidity to settle (and I wish there was less of it) but, minor quibbles aside, an impressive wine nonetheless. Drink : 2014 - 2020+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 93 points

About the winery

Balnaves of Coonawarra is a small family-owned winery, in the heart of the Coonawarra Wine Region. Doug Balnaves established the vineyard in 1975 and 2.5 ha of Cabernet Sauvignon and 2.5 ha of Shiraz were planted on the rich terra rossa soils. Since those first plantings the Balnaves vineyards have grown steadily and today Balnaves have over 70ha of high-quality estate vineyards.

In 1990 siblings Kirsty and Pete Balnaves joined the family company and the first Balnaves wines were produced on a contract basis at a neighbouring winery. These days, Doug is General Manager, while Kirsty is the Business Manager and Peter runs the vineyard. In 1995 the family was joined by winemaker Pete Bissell and in 1996 their state-of-the-art 1000 tonne winery, designed and supervised by Pete, was completed.  

In 1998 the first vintage of their flagship wine, the Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was produced. The 2004 Tally won Jeremy Oliver's Wine of the Year in 2007. In 2008 the winery was named James Halliday's Winery of the Year and they have been awarded five stars by Halliday for 17 consecutive years. 

Balnaves' success has in no small part been due to Pete Bissell, who celebrated 25 years as senior winemaker in 2020. Pete received numerous accolades over that time, including winning the Qantas/Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year in 2005. Pete retired in July 2020 and assistant Winemaker Jacinta Jenkins took over as Senior Winemaker.