TNs: 78 Margaux vs. 80 Balgownie

[Baby Chickpea]

1978 Château Margaux
Probably my second favourite 1978 Bordeaux after the stunning 78 Lafleur. Stunning medium red colour with minimal brown hues. Very subtle and perfumed bouquet that appears still quite youthful. Plums and cherries. Very good. Excellent length and balance. Years to go but appears at its peak. Not greatly complex but has lovely structure and follow through. No one flavour or anything discernible stands out, just refinement, model fruit/oak/tannin integration, and fine length. Just lacks that something special to make it grand (greater vintage?). Still an excellent wine that I have consistently enjoyed over the years.
Excellent 18.0 / 20

1980 Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Bendigo, Victoria)
The longest cork I have ever seen in an Aussie wine, measuring 5.7cm (vs. the Margaux’s 5cm)! 12.3% A/V. Deep red, almost purple colour with only a hint of brown at the rim. Exceptional. Held up to a powerful fluorescent light, the wine is opaque and impenetrable. I knew straight away this was a special wine because of the colour. Nose is very deep, rich and intense with aromas of plums and prunes. Subtle hint of black fruit sweetness. Oak is completely subsumed by the dense fruit. Stunning stuff, with an incredibly generous array of delights. Exceptional – again! The palate has beautiful balance and very good length. Everything in harmony. No hint of oak whatsoever – still elemental, almost like pure cherry and plum juice drink, with vinous qualities. Still very youthful and only beginning to ascend into the secondary evolution stage. Tannin perfectly integrated. A wine with a freak reputation and it certainly lives up to it. On the first day, a very slight alcoholic hotness on the finish. Days 2 and 3, hardly budged or diminished by time. If there’s a criticism, it is that the length is not quite so spectacular as every other component (its still damn good), and upon opening it has a very slight “pickled” character (possible due to some “spritziness”), which went away after decanting. Winemaker Stuart Anderson considers this one of his very finest all time vintages, made from old vines and one of Australia’s first boutique wineries, with a tradition of making full-flavoured and age-worthy wines. Like the highly reputable vintages of the 70s, this wine delivers on nearly all fronts. Side by side with the 78 Margaux, the latter was blown away. The Balgownie had finer fruit and oak symbiosis, with a little more complexity. Length between the two was neck and neck. I have not had many Balgownie’s from the 1990s but this is enough to get me back on the circuit. This is one of the very best Australian cabernets I have ever had. Not quite Grand Vin! But oh-so-close. Will live for many years. Now, where in hell can I get another bottle from?
Excellent 18.7 / 20

[Aussie Johns]

Top notes, Danny. An interesting and valid comparison.

Anderson made some absolutely amazing Cabs around that period- the 1976 Balgownie is an all-time Aussie great. The quality did, I believe, decline in the late 80's and early 90's, with the sale of the vineyard, but recent efforts have been very encouraging.
I have some 70's and 80's tucked away for a rainy day, but they will stay asleep for at least another decade.

His very early pinots weren't bad either.

[simm]

Top notes, Danny. An interesting and valid comparison.

Anderson made some absolutely amazing Cabs around that period- the 1976 Balgownie is an all-time Aussie great. The quality did, I believe, decline in the late 80's and early 90's, with the sale of the vineyard, but recent efforts have been very encouraging.
I have some 70's and 80's tucked away for a rainy day, but they will stay asleep for at least another decade.

His very early pinots weren't bad either.

Hi AJ,
Have you tried either the 98 and 2000 Balgownie Cab?

regards,

[Baby Chickpea]

AJ - let me know if you ever wanna offload one of your cache!

Simm - fred (from his reply to my post on another board) recommended the 94, 98 and 2000 as recent standout vintages and "excellent".

[Craig(NZ).]

move to the 2dp rating system for greater accuacy

[707]

Your post brings tears to my eyes. I had 1980 Balgownies until a couple of years ago, wish now I'd kept a few back. The 1980 is just one of the most stunning wines made in this country and almost unheralded. Always looked five or six years younger than it was. It was still purple and dense at ten years of age when other top 1980s were showing much more aged colour.

Very sad how a corporate buyout can just completely kill off a potential icon. I like to think that if it hadn't occurred we'd be talking of Balgownie in the same breath as Jasper Hill etc.

[Colin]

I have been visiting Balgownie since 1979 when Stuart Anderson was in command and at one stage had a case of the 1980 CS but unfortunately it was consumed way tooo soon, no doubt an outstanding wine.

When he was bought out by Mildara Blass I continued to frequent but not as much, quality dropped off quickly and the service deteriorated significantly. I got an insight into why the quality dropped off from the winemaker during the 90's. Mildara were using the premium Cab Sav fruit for the ailing Alexander's label, not sure how they got away with that given it was supposed to be a Coonawarra wine. He was less than impressed as it reflected badly on his skill as Balgownie's chief winemaker while someone else took the credit for the other label. To be honest they put the winery back about two decades but fortunately it has been resurrected by its new owners who have spent considerable amounts of money on the operation and the quality is starting to turn heads again.

While Cab Sav was traditionally the flagship wine for Balgownie, like most other places it is now challenged by the Shiraz which is a superb drink. There is no doubt Victorian has gone ahead in leaps and bounds in the last decade to be the leading regional producer of this Shiraz in Australia eg. Pyrenees, Heathcote, Geelong, Great Western, Macedon Ranges and Yarra Valley in good years.

Colin

[Guest]

Hell Colin, I nearly spewed out my Weetbix - Victoria the leading producer of Shiraz!!!!

I agree they're doing very well but don't think they've yet knocked off Barossa and McLaren Vale as our leading regions, Clare and Langhorne Creek chime in frequently as well. If you want to put in such great Shiraz regions as Macedon and Yarra Valley well I might just add Coonawarra and Adelaide Hills.

I think the Visy Board Great Shiraz Challenge proves my point.

Now back to my Weetbix and heart pills.

707

[guest]

Like Colin, I had a case of this and, again, sadly consumed too soon (although my patience only finally ran out about 5 years ago - it was still very much in evolution).
The case was a gift (on release) from a former girlfriend as a thankyou for showing her father around Sydney on his first visit to the place. What a girlfriend, huh?!! Where are you now, Jenny !
Geoff G

[simm]

AJ - let me know if you ever wanna offload one of your cache!

Simm - fred (from his reply to my post on another board) recommended the 94, 98 and 2000 as recent standout vintages and "excellent".

Ta BC, it's beginning to get confusing hopping back and forth Was just wondering if AJ had tried them.

[Irregular]

Danny, you’ve rekindled fond memories for me too. Stuart Anderson is indeed a great winemaker, I last had his ‘80 Cab about 5 years ago and, as you say, it was showing no signs of going downhill, a lovely wine. I still have a couple left and look forward to opening the next one. We had an ‘85 last year which surprised me enormously, still so very youthful and drinking beautifully, with a few of these still sitting in the cellar too, I’m going to ‘pace’ myself in opening them. BTW, they still come up fairly regularly at auction, at unbelievably reasonable prices!

As an aside, did you ever try Stuarts burgundy varieties? Depending on the vintage, they could be exceptional wines. Five or six years ago now we had several Pinot’s at a dinner – the wines were early/mid ‘80’s – Balgownie (’85), Mt Mary, Burgundies (forget which), and others. Can’t recall all the wines but do remember that the best wine, and a total surprise to all, was the Balgownie, a classic. Likewise, one of my fondest Chardonnay moments was a Balgownie, it was an ’84, consumed in ’99, and it was a magnificent example of an aged but eminently drinkable wine.

cheers
Ian

[Colin]

707
Yes I am biased, but it was early this morning when I posted that note and it was raining, thank goodness.

Ok maybe my choice of Vic regions was a little over the top but there are a few really good examples of Shiraz coming out of this state at the moment eg.

Seppelts St Peters
Dalwhinnie
Heathcote
Hanging Rock
Shadowfax One Eye
Bannockburn
Jasper Hill
Bests
Bullers
Balgownie

My cellar is actually dominated with SA shiraz like: Zema, Bowen Estate, Kirrihill, Leasingham and I appreciate them greatly it's just that Victorian Shiraz has suddenly hit top gear and finally caught up to the big SA labels. I am enjoying the different styles being offered over hear at the moment, after years of SA dominance it is a pleasant change to have such a choice.

Colin

[707]

Colin, glad to accept your partial retraction/reperspective on the Vic Shiraz situation.

Whilst I'm a big supporter of my local SA product I haven't let Vic quality get under my guard. You'll find plenty of Dalwhinnie, Summerfield Reserve, Jasper Hill etc in my cellar.

I did anoint the 2002 Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz as one of this years best buys as well.

We're all Australians, lets enjoy Australian wine regardless of origin (Hunter excepted!).

[Colin]

Like Colin, I had a case of this and, again, sadly consumed too soon (although my patience only finally ran out about 5 years ago - it was still very much in evolution).
The case was a gift (on release) from a former girlfriend as a thankyou for showing her father around Sydney on his first visit to the place. What a girlfriend, huh?!! Where are you now, Jenny !
Geoff G

Geoff, would you believe my case of 1980 Balgownie Cab Sav was given to me by my girlfriend too, but she became my wife and never bought me another case after we got married. There has to be a moral there. Colin

[Gary W]

We're all Australians, lets enjoy Australian wine regardless of origin (Hunter excepted!).

Puh! SA is a very distinct 4th place for me.

NSW (Brokenwood Graveyard,Clonakilla,Tyrrells etc)
Victoria (Craiglee,St Peters,Mt Langi,Dalwhinnie,Tahbilk,Bannockburn)
WA (Plantagenet,Alkoomi,Voyager)

all place higher in my list than SA shiraz!! (Rockford,Turkey Flat, Melton) - all Barossa which is great...can't say as much for other regions in SA.

Just an opinion.

GW

[Guest]

Colin wrote:
Geoff, would you believe my case of 1980 Balgownie Cab Sav was given to me by my girlfriend too, but she became my wife and never bought me another case after we got married. There has to be a moral there.

SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO JENNY !
Geoff G

[Baby Chickpea]

As an aside, did you ever try Stuarts burgundy varieties? Depending on the vintage, they could be exceptional wines. Five or six years ago now we had several Pinot’s at a dinner – the wines were early/mid ‘80’s – Balgownie (’85), Mt Mary, Burgundies (forget which), and others. Can’t recall all the wines but do remember that the best wine, and a total surprise to all, was the Balgownie, a classic. Likewise, one of my fondest Chardonnay moments was a Balgownie, it was an ’84, consumed in ’99, and it was a magnificent example of an aged but eminently drinkable wine.

cheers
Ian

Never tried the burgundy's but they have a pretty good reputation. I have had some very good chardy from Balgownie from late 80s vintages but rarely since. This seesm to be a winery that should improve by leaps and bounds in the future,, having made some very positive steps in recent vintages. One to keep an eye out for ...