Coonawarra reds under £30
Why does James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia single out Coonawarra's terra rossa as 'the most celebrated vineyard soil in Australia'? Sarah Ahmed investigates...
Scroll down for our top picks under £30
About 20km long and just 1km wide, this area of shallow, rust-red clay loam on calcrete is intensively planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.
This cigar-shaped strip of terra rossa rise is to Coonawarra what Médoc’s gravel rises are to Bordeaux. Both are a marriage made in heaven for the grape that ‘doesn’t like to get its feet wet’.
Coonawarra also comprises some lower-lying sand and deeper, heavier clay. But it is the porous nature of the ‘cigar’ that consistently produces the finest quality grapes by allowing the roots to eke out moisture and nutrients.
Peter Barry, of Jim Barry Wines, said that Coonawarra’s cool climate ‘results in a much longer ripening season…which in turn produces excellent fruit flavours and unique tannin structure’.
Although there is a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon planted here, Coonawarra is also producing some excellent quality wines with other varietals such as Shiraz and Merlot. Some of the region’s most celebrated wines are blends.
Our top Coonawarra reds under £30
Read the full article in the September 2016 issue of Decanter magazine
Click here to subscribe
Balnaves, The Tally, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2008
This flagship wine comes from the crème de la crème of some 45 different batches of Cabernet Sauvignon – in 2008, Dead Morris Vineyard (79%)...
2008
BalnavesCoonawarra
Majella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2012
95
A pure, hedonistic seam of cassis runs through this wine, keeping it tightly focused. Throaty tobacco and gravelly minerality bring complexity and great back-palate resonance. The ultra-fine tannins offer seamless support.
2012
Majella
Majella, Estate Shiraz, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2012
94
Fleshy, sweet, liquorice-edged plum, juicier blackberry and currant with clove and charry oak notes. Rich, ripe tannins unobtrusively harness the fruit. Lovely balance and length.
2012
Majella
Katnook Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2013
93
Heady with a rich burnish of charry, spicy oak to its cassis and juicier mulberry and blackberry. Long, with ripe but textural gravelly tannins.
2013
Katnook Estate
Jim Barry, First Eleven Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia, 2013
93
Very fresh, floral and mineral with gravel and kelp undertones to its firm bilberry, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. The papery, fine tannins absorb and extend the flavours on a persistent finish.
2013
Jim Barry
