Balnaves of Coonawarra

Family owned and operated Balnaves of Coonawarra was established in 1975 by Doug and Annette Balnaves. Initially they made wines on contract at a neighbouring winery. In 1995, joined by winemaker Pete Bissell, they built their own winery.

Coonawarra is a unique strip of clay based terra rossa 16 kilometres long and two kilometres wide. At Balnaves of Coonawarra the principal variety is Cabernet Sauvignon which accounts for 70% of plantings while Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay and Viognier make up the rest. Rather than focusing on simple varietal fruit characters, at the winery they aim is to maximize and build complexity and structure in the wines.

Balnaves of Coonawarra wines are made exclusively from estate grown fruit. First made in 1998, their lead wine is The Tally Cabernet Sauvignon. Other highlights include their Chardonnay and a sparkling Cabernet.