Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Very good-value red with an exuberant array of fresh berries and knockabout tannins. Always reliable, this wine. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. Drink now. Screw cap.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Predominantly Merlot (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), with bits of Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (2%), Balnaves' 2015 The Blend is a full-bodied, rich, ripe, almost lusty red. Subtle notes of menthol and oak spice mark the nose, while the palate is open yet structured and firm, with a juicy, mouthwatering finish of cassis, cinnamon and clove.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Distinguished by a thin, subterranean band of crumbled, red clay loam, Coonawarra is a fairly flat, otherwise unobtrusive region with a cool Mediterranean climate, actually not dissimilar to Bordeaux.
In Coonawarra, this unique layer of red clay is called, "terra rossa" and gets its color from iron oxide. The terra rossa soil overlies soft, penetrable limestone, in a continuous area that is part of the Limestone Coast zone of South Australia. This uncommon layering of soils creates a substrate that is both well draining and at the same time, offers good water retention to support vine roots through dry summers.
Not surprisingly, Coonawara experiences great success with the Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also Shiraz. However Cabernet reigns superior and accounts for half of the Coonawarra harvest each year. Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon develops powerful, yet polished tannins, ripe, red berry fruit and often sweet herb or dried mint qualities. The region has an increased focus on the individual expressions of single vineyards.