Tait Barossa Valley The Ball Buster 2019

For 17 years in a row Tait’s The Ball Buster (91 Points – Josh Raynolds) has scored 90+ point ratings, and it’s the only wine in the world at its price point to receive 90 points or better from The Wine Advocate for 10 or more consecutive years. Big, bold, and beautiful, the 2019 Tait The Ball Buster (77% Shiraz, 12% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon) delivers another knockout performance. Deep, dark, and redolent with blackberry, black cherry, rose petal and savory baking spice scents and flavors, the 2019 Tait The Ball Buster nearly leaps from the glass. Sumptuous and satisfying from start to finish, the 2019 Tait The Ball Buster seduces the nose and satiates the palate, while a tsunami of ripe tannins keep this luxurious blend beautifully balanced. Decadent, but not jammy, the 2019 Tait The Ball Buster finishes with true verve and vigor, to the point one would never guess it tops out at 15.7% ABV. Once again, Tait’s basket pressed, un-fined and unfiltered 2019 The Ball Buster is simply not to be missed. Serve it cool (60°-64° F) after 10-20 minutes of aeration. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2027. Enjoy!

Tait’s sumptuous 2019 Barossa Valley Ball Buster is a hearty meal in itself, but this flavor packed wine also possesses the propensity to elevate an ordinary weekday meal to a special occasion, and it is equally adept at holding court at the finest gourmet table. Herb and Black Olive Tapenade Encrusted Pork Tenderloin served with garlic mashed potatoes offers delightful companionship. Add a highly charged ratatouille served with homemade pasta and the pleasure quotient goes up even further. Thin slices of beef with a Shiraz demi-glaze on a bed of sweet potato mash in the company of roasted root vegetables gains high marks, too. A venison or bison burger topped with black pepper aioli and onion confit provides another tasty treat to accompany Tait’s scrumptious 2019 The Ball Buster. A spicy andouille sausage pizza with broccoli rabe and fior de latte or a simple mid-week meatloaf never tasted better than in the company of the 2019 Tait The Ball Buster. Whatever you choose, it will taste better with a glass or two of Tait’s 2019 The Ball Buster. Good day, and good feasting, mates!

Tait is truly a boutique winery in all respects. Located in the small town of Lyndoch in the southern end of South Australia’s Barossa Valley the winery overlooks the spectacular Barossa Ranges and is owned and run by Michael and Bruno Tait and Bruno’s wife Michelle. They acquired the property in 1994 to continue the Tait family’s winemaking tradition. Although relatively new to winemaking, Michael and Bruno’s family had long been involved with wine. The brothers’ father, Giovanni Tait, was a master cooper who migrated to Australia in 1957 from Italy where he worked in Barossa, making and repairing oak casks for ageing wine. He learned his trade in Italy from his father and grandfather; together they share more than 100 years of experience crafting oak casks. Nevertheless, Giovanni’s ultimate dream was to one day to establish a family winery called Tait Wines, which came to fruition with sons Michael and Bruno.

Tait’s wine making philosophy is quite simple: produce hand crafted, bold-flavored, full-throttle wines that exhibit intense flavors and aromas. They use only the highest quality Barossa and McLaren Vale fruit from low yielding vines, many of which are 50-80 years of age. All of Tait’s wines are made on site and are hand crafted using traditional winemaking methods including open fermentation, extended maceration and basket pressing, which ensures the highest quality and consistency.

Tait crafts three iconic wines, The Ball Buster, a classic full-bodied Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot blend that consistently garners 90+ points every year (this month’s selection); The Wild Ride, a rich superbly made GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) that ranks as one of Australia’s finest; and The Border Crossing, a sumptuous Shiraz from across the Barossa border in neighboring McLaren Vale and the winery’s newest venture. Tait also bottles small amounts of a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon to round out its enviable portfolio.