BALGOWNIE ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vineyard: | Balgownie Estate |
| Origin: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| ABV%: | 13.8% |
| Colour: | Dark ruby red |
| Aromas: | Notes of cassis, blackberry with hints of oak and vanilla |
| Flavours: |
Classical Cabernet notes of cassis, blackberry, and leafy, herbal influences. The complex palate is framed by beautifully expressed tannins and toasty oak influences. |
Winemaking Highlights
Hand harvested from the original Cabernet Sauvignon plantings from 1969.
The fruit was de stemmed and crushed and was then pumped straight to small open vats for fermentation. A slow fermentation on skins over the next 14 to 20 days occurred with the number of pump overs and plunging kept to a minimum and to maintain the quality of the fruit. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (30% new) and bottled without fining.
If you enjoy this vintage, buy now while stocks last. An impressive, rich, and complex wine with depth, excellent balance and length of palate that is a memorable match with roast lamb or a wine to cellar and savour with fifteen years bottle age.
Reviews
Andrew Graham - Australian Wine Review
I’ve written recently about the absolute glory of the commemorative release Balgownie Old Vine Cabernet, and although this Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is just the ‘standard’ wine, it shares so much of that big dog, I’m going to live forever, timelessly long and regal Balgownie Cabernet DNA (and it’s delicious). It’s a great vintage of Balgownie Cab. Proudly varietal, with cassis, cedar, pencil shavings, blueberries and dark chocolate. It’s more on the fuller-bodied side of the fence, but it’s not heavy – substantial, tannic, and all-round powerful. Grabs at you with grainy tannin from both oak and fruit. It’s a little warm to finish, but not deal-breaking. Importantly, this tastes unlike Coonawarra Cabernet, or Margaret River Cabernet or Yarra Cabernet or any other region’s Cabernet, and it’s all the better for it. Nice wine. Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. Best drinking: now or in twenty years time.
Rating: 94/100.
James Halliday Wine Companion
"40yo vines, open-fermented, 18 days on skins, matured for 18 months in French barriques (30% new). The cool vintage gave the wine effortless and pure cabernet structure, the length further aided by firm tannins. Will be very long-lived.”