Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet 1999 (review)

87 points.

Coonawarra, South Australia.

I've long been a fan of Balnaves reds. They emerged on the market at a time when many other Coonawarra producers were accentuating the herbal minty eucalypt characters of Coonawarra fruit by picking early, or at least some grapes early. Even now, when everyone is picking late and gaining huge alcohols Balnaves stands out with good physiological ripeness.

Incredible dark colour - and at 6 years old ! Unmistakably Coonawarra aromas, but not outrageous hard mint. An impressively structured wine, fat mid-palate, densely concentrated, though someone dumb. Perhaps it is still too young and will gain complexity with age. I find that a little hard to beleive, but probably worth taking the punt if you can still find some (I bought this off retail shelves this week).

Well priced.