Producer · South Australia, Australia

Balnaves

Balnaves is a family vineyard at the southern end of Coonawarra's famous strip of red 'terra rossa' soil, in South Australia. It was planted in 1975, and three generations of the family have now looked after it.

Doug Balnaves runs it today, helped by his son Pete and his daughter Kirsty. They also look after 300 more hectares for other growers. Their 58 hectares are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, split into small blocks of one or two hectares that are each farmed to suit their needs.

The fruit was always good, but they only began making their own wine in 1995, when they hired winemaker Pete Bissell. He still helps out as a consultant, with Maddie LeMire as winemaker. Expect Cabernet with ripe black fruit, poise and layers.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot · £23.99 to £29.99 a bottle