Tait The Ball Buster 2022
Ripe blueberry compote, with mocha and toffee on the nose. Espresso beans, chocolate covered blueberries and the faintest trace of spearmint, on the palate. Broad shouldered and plush texture, with layers of complex flavors. Firm tannins and acid structure means this will hold up for years to come. 950 cases made, 850 cases imported.
“Rich dark berries are accented by walnuts, peppercorns and licorice. Full-bodied and structured yet velvety in texture, combining meaty depth with polished tannins. Well-integrated and persistent in the finish. A blend of 87% shiraz, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 6% merlot. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
92 Points – James Suckling, February 2026
“The 2022 Shiraz Ball Buster is an impressive vintage for this label offering up powerful and fleshy aromas of blackberry and chocolate with more complex earth and spice accented by sweet oak. Good fruit depth and structure with resinous oak bring broad appeal before finishing with strong length.” – Angus Hughson, Vinous
2022 – 91pts Vinous
The grapes that make up the Ball Buster are sourced from various vineyard located throughout the Barossa Valley. The vineyards are chosen such that they express the area that they are grown. The TAIT philosophy is that the grapes and subsequent wine must have intensity of flavor and richness. The age of the vineyards that make up the Ball Buster range from 7-50 years old. The grapes are de-stemmed and tipped into large open fermenters, pH is adjusted and fermentation takes place over 7-10 days at a temperature of approximately 74 degrees F. Plunging and pumping over takes place 3 times a day during this period. The wine is then gently pressed using traditional basket presses. Juice is drained from there to barrel, where it spends 18 months in a combination of used French and American oak. The oak that is used, is there to impart some subtle flavors but more importantly, to create softness in the wine. Blending of the different components wine takes place to ensure a wine which is dark in color, rich and juicy on the palate and full bodied, but with good balance and length. Ball Buster is always bottled unfined & unfiltered.
The first production of the Ball Buster in 2002 was 600 cases. It entered the market at a time when Aussie wines were on fire, but high scoring ones were expensive. Bruno Tait committed him- self to making an awesome Shiraz based Barossa red, and having it retail for under $20. This vintage marks Tait’s 16th year of this iconic blend, named as a “tongue-in-cheek” tribute from Bruno to his wife, Michelle. This is the only wine in the world to ever receive 10 or more consecutive 90 point reviews or higher, in The Wine Advocate, at the $20 mark. In fact, the 2016 vintage marked 15 straight vintages since its inception, of 90 point or higher reviews – a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated by any other wine. Not much has changed over the years. It is still made with high quality fruit and hand crafted winemaking. Even as production volumes grew, Bruno has been committed to maintaining quality and avoiding shortcuts and price gouging. For those consumers that enjoy the opulence of wines like The Prisoner, but would like some elegance as well – this one’s for you.
