Tait ‘The Ball Buster’ 2015
VEGAN FRIENDLY!
91 pts Wine Advocate
More savory than I remember past vintages being, Tait’s 2015 The Ball Buster Proprietary Red boasts hints of mocha and black olive on the nose, followed by notes of blackberry and plum. Like the name suggests, it’s a big, unsubtle wine, loaded with ripeness and breadth on the palate and possessing a velvety feel and bold finish. This year, the blend is 80% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot.
90 pts Wine Spectator
Pure, juicy blueberry and cherry flavors are set up against chalky tannins, which add traction to the lush fruit. Black tea and spice notes linger on the finish. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2028. 9,550 cases made. –MW
The grapes that make up the Ball Buster blend are sourced from different vineyard locations throughout the Barossa. Vineyard sites are chosen to ensure that the resultant fruit is intense and that cropping levels do not exceed 3.5 tones an acre; typically these are clay soils on the fringes of the Barossa. Each vineyard site is visited twice a week during the maturing season to ensure that the fruit is maturing slowly and that water is only applied when necessary. Picking is only done when the grapes are physiologically ripe.
All grapes are picked when physiologically ripe to obtain peak ripeness in terms of sugar and flavor. The grapes are de-stemmed into open fermenters, pH is adjusted and fermentation takes place over 7-10 days at a temperature of approx 24 degrees centigrade. Plunging and or pumping over takes place 3 times a day. The wine is then pressed using a Basket Press. Juice is then transferred to tank or Barrel to undergo Malo-lactic fermentation. Each batch is kept separate to determine on a year by year basis the quality of the fruit from that vineyard. All wine is racked and returned to barrel 2 to 3 times during the 12 month period to ensure a clean wine that does not need any fining or filtration.
