2006 Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

CanadianWineGuy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:08:45 +0000

Since I have just returned from my voyage to the outback (yes the real outback) I figured I would do a fast blog on this wine we opened tonight. We bought this on our trip back in October and really we had no plans to open one anytime soon. But with limited space (read no space at all) in the cellar and a few new bottles needing a home I felt that one of of these could be had for the right convincing (aka asking Mrs CWG to decant). Our Balnaves visit was one of our first in the Coonawarra region and that day was simply a pleasure. A great Cabernet Sauvignon region, I was very pleased with most of the offerings from the five cellar doors we visited that day. This wine in particular left me thinking of a polished French offering. On to the tasting!

Dark inky purple with a heavy hint of fruit, that is what the decanting yielded. A few swirls released black cherry and vanilla. What a nice nose it actually had. For a Cab this is quite even and soft for it’s age. The tannins are neither sticky or overwhelming. The longer we went into the bottle, the more blackcurrant and cherries took over. Oaking is hinted at (despite 20 months in tight French barrels) and only a hint of dark chocolate and vanilla really can be attributed from it. This wine is very enjoyable and if you can, the price is right (roughly $35AUS when we bought it from the cellar door), try and pick up a case as this should cellar well and reward you with patience. We will leave our second bottle on it’s side for at least 3 to 4 years, while if we can we will attempt 5 to 10.

The CWGSR is 89 out of 100.

NV Bethany Old Quarry Tawny Port

CanadianWineGuy — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:20:33 +0000

I thought I’d talk/write about a port today. We picked this up in the fall of 2008 during our trip through Australian wine country. Bethany is a small village in South Australia (SA), in the heart of the Barossa Valley. As part of our trek from winery to restaurant to winery (it was rough, trust me) we constantly asked the same question “In Barossa, can you give us a few smaller wineries to visit that produce top quality wines”. Without fail a few names kept coming up and one of those was Bethany Wines. The day we went there was a typical SA day, dry and hot, and by the time we rolled into the winery it was stop number four. Old, steeped in family tradition, Bethany reeked of small town, place next door. The lady at the tasting bar would probably have looked more at home at a quilting bee then a winery. We tried the whole range of Bethany wines that day and walked away with their Gr9 Shiraz, an Old Quarry Fronti white port and of course the non-vintage (NV) Old Quarry Tawny Port we are reviewing today.

Unlike most reviews this will not get a rating or detailed tasting notes, but more of an opinion. I love port and all sorts, deeper chewier ones, single vintage specialties, true tawnies and simply just interesting thrown together ones. Generally with a port you will get something that compliments nuts and stronger pungent cheeses and is sure to please the palate after a nice dinner and a few glasses of wine. This tawny is enjoyable, nutty with hints of raisins. With an even body and good flavour it is sure to please but will not overwhelm. We grabbed one of these as we enjoyed it at the tasting bar, and for the price it was hard to top (roughly $19aus if I remember correctly). Will this blow away a Madeira? No, but it will none the less satisfy any lover of fortified wine.

I am off traveling again tomorrow, I will probably be absent for the next few days, till I return, sip well!

Canadian Wine Guy » australia

2006 Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

NV Bethany Old Quarry Tawny Port