Balnaves of Coonawarra

Balnaves of Coonawarra is a family-owned estate founded in 1975 by Doug Balnaves on 58 hectares of prime Coonawarra terra rossa. The estate's crown jewel is The Tally — a single-vineyard, old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon made only in exceptional vintages from vines planted in 1975. Winemaker Pete Bissell crafts the wine with minimal intervention: hand-harvesting, open-ferment with extended maceration, and aging in 100% French Barriques for 18 months. The Tally has become one of Coonawarra's most sought-after and limited wines — demonstrating that family-scale production with exceptional site specificity can rival Wynns' scale advantage.

Balnaves The Tally is cited by James Halliday (5 Red Stars) and Wine Advocate as one of Coonawarra's essential expressions — a single-vineyard, old-vine Cabernet that rivals John Riddoch in quality while demonstrating the personal, family-scale character that distinguishes it from the larger estate wines. Scoring 95-98 in exceptional vintages, The Tally is Coonawarra's most allocated collector's wine alongside Wynns John Riddoch.