Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

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. 

The fruit for the 2005 The Tally was sourced from two blocks, the Dead Morris vineyard (77%) and the Walker vineyard (23%). Three French coopers provided oak casks – Taransaud, Seguin Moreau and St Martin.

"Intense, tightly coiled and packed full of energy. A mighty Coonawarra cabernet and yes, it's well worth the money."  Gary Walsh

"The 2005 Tally has a deep red-purple tinge. This is a huge wine, big rich ripe fruit, liquorice and anise notes, spice complex and dense. The palate is big and rich, full-bodied ripe fruit with solid tannins and structure. The tannins need time to soften as this wine has less long maceration than normal. As with the Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 should age very well. Hold."  Balnaves

Expert reviews

"Deep purple-red; an incredibly powerful and expressive bouquet, the luscious but tightly framed blackcurrant, cassis and French oak precisely fulfilling the promises of the bouquet. Drink Now-2025."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points

"Super wine. Powerful, ripe and concentrated, packed full of dense blackberry and chocolate flavours and fortified by a wall of fine, powder-like tannin. It's a modern day interpretation of the Coonawarra style and it works beautifully. The 2004 version of this was magnificent, and I can't see any qualitative difference between the two vintages on this showing. Drink: 2014-2024." +."  Grant Dodd, The Wining Pro – 95 points

"I tasted this wine over three days and it showed no signs of tiring. A complex mix of red and black berries, blackcurrant, licorice, earth and lots of spicy clove and cedar oak with a touch of cooling menthol. On the palate full bodied with red and black berry, cassis, dark chocolate and tobacco flavours backed with a large helping of high quality cedar oak. Intense, tightly coiled and packed full of energy with very strong but ripe tannins and a long tannic finish. A mighty Coonawarra cabernet and yes, it's well worth the money. Drink : 2014 – 2030."  Gary Walsh, Winorama - 95 points

"A powerful and savoury cabernet whose deep, dark, rather closed and tight-fisted aromas of black fruits, dark chocolate and dried herbs reveal a meaty aspect. Its long and finely honed palate marries deep, bright and dark-fruited cabernet flavour with assertive but balance smoky and cedary oak and a frame of fine, firm and powdery tannin. It finishes very long indeed, with slightly herbal undertones of mint and menthol, plus a marginally baked note at the back of the palate. A very good wine indeed despite a slight rawness that just lacks the even ripeness and regal structure of the 2004 vintage. Drink 2013-2017+."  Jeremy Oliver - 94 points

"Coonawarra's modern flagship? Only released in vintages meriting attention, this is a benchmark for a classic Australian wine type. Lovely concentration is offset by finesse and a delicious core of tangy, blackcurrant cabernet character dressed elegantly in cedary oak. It's sumptuous but not heavy, deliciously tangy, fine and long. Great. Ageing? 10 years or more."  Ralph Kyte-Powell, Epicure Uncorked  ★★★★★

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.