2019 Tait The Ballbuster from the Barossa Valley - A Shiraz blend for under $20 with 17 (90 Point) scores in a row from the Wine Advocate
“Reality is an illusion that occurs due to a lack of wine.”
We never have a lack of wine at Wine Watch and this week is another GREAT week of tastings for us with three chances to come out and drink at the Wine Bar.
Thursday, July 24, 2025 - 6:00 PM
Happy Hour Wine Tasting with Pahlmeyer Wines. Check out the line-up at: https://www.winewatch.com/wine-events-d6/july-events-c61/happy-hour-wine-tasting-with-pahlmeyer-wines-e3852/
Friday, July 25, 2025 - 7:30 PM
2005 Vintage Red Burgundy Wine Tasting Featuring Domaine Jean Grivot, Comte De Vogue, Domaine Dujac and more...Check out the line-up at: https://www.winewatch.com/wine-events-d6/july-events-c61/2005-vintage-red-burgundy-wine-tasting-featuring-domaine-jean-grivot-comte-de-vogue-domaine-dujac-and-more-e3844/
Saturday, July 26, 2025 - 7:30 PM
Super Northern Rhone Wine Tasting Featuring Jaboulet, Chave, Clape and more...Check out the line-up at: https://www.winewatch.com/wine-events-d6/july-events-c61/super-northern-rhone-wine-tasting-featuring-jaboulet-chave-clape-and-more-e3845/
Today we have a great price on one of the Barossa Valley’s leading producers and we love that they are putting age-worthy wines in screwcap! We have a vintage Aussie tasting every year and the older wines in screwcap always show fresher fruit and are more consistent from bottle to bottle than cork finished wines. Bravo Tait Winery for putting your cellar worthy basket pressed Shiraz in screwcap! You can even hold on to the entry level bottling of the Ballbuster for 10+ years in your cellar and you will be amazed as 2019 was an outstanding vintage in the Barossa.
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 2017 vintage marked 16 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.
Tait – The Ballbuster!!
2019 Tait "The Ball Buster" Barossa Valley
List $25.00 Sale $19.75
Fruit for the 2019 Ball Buster was sourced from 7 different sites in the Barossa Valley. Vine age varies between 10-30 years. 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 2019 Ballbuster is a blend of 77% Shiraz, 12% Merlot and11% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2019 Vintage was characterized by a very dry winter and spring where rainfall was 75% of normal rainfall levels. This was followed by hot, very dry conditions in January and February. The Barossa recorded a 30% drop in yields compared to the 2018 vintage. The lower yields resulted in Barossa Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon with great color, intense flavors and firm tannin structure.
Tait Wines is located at the southern end of the famous Barossa Valley, in a town called Lyndoch in South Australia, and overlooks the spectacular Barossa Ranges. The panoramic view is an ideal setting for enjoying Tait Wines. The cellar door is a place which is relaxed and friendly and where personalized wine tasting can be experienced. Displays at the winery give a working history of the traditional winemaking and viticultural methods.
Philosophy
It is our philosophy that all quality wine starts in the vineyard. The Barossa fruit we use is always very low yielding and produces highly concentrated flavors and aromas. Tait Wines produce all wine on site to ensure quality and consistency. We use traditional winemaking methods including open fermentation, extended maceration and basket pressing – we feel our wines display our uncompromising pursuit of excellence.
Winemaking Style
The growth in stature for Tait Wines has come about fairly quickly and directly reflects the dedication and vision of Bruno in his wine making skills. Bruno's wines have received very favorable overseas reviews ( 93 Parker points for the 2001 Basket Pressed Shiraz, 92 Parker points for the 2002 "The Ball Buster", 90 Parker points for the 2001 Basket Pressed Cabernet Sauvignon) and this has validated his efforts to make world class wines.
Bruno's wines epitomize the Barossa style -big, rich and full of flavor. The obvious attention to detail along with strong relationships with his growers has allowed Bruno access to high quality fruit (the old vine fruit is from vines 50-80 years old) which he has then transformed into wines that are reflective of his personality - big, generous with loads of personality.
Bruno in Vineyard
Bruno also works in close partnership with his exporters, an essential ingredient to ensure the wines maintain their own in a competitive market and remain true to his own style. Now with the edition of new space through the recent expansion expect even more of the same from Tait Wines.
History
Tait Wines is a family owned winery located in the famous Barossa Valley, in South Australia. The Tait name has been involved in the wine industry for more than 100 years, practicing the art of cooperage. Tait Wines is continuing this involvement by producing premium quality wines. The inspiration behind Tait Wines was Giovanni Tait (1927-1997). Giovanni Tait migrated to Australia from Italy in 1957 to take up work as a cooper in the Barossa. His high skill and craftsmanship in his chosen trade led him to Seppelts and Sons where he took an active role in the production and maturation of wine in oak casks. He learnt cooperage from his father and grandfather before migrating to Australia.
It was not until his sons grew older that his dream came to reality. With his sons, he founded a small winery called Tait Wines. His vision for Tait Wines was to be a traditional winery using all the old winemaking methods to produce hand crafted wines that were powerful in depth, flavor and taste. Each year, the family acknowledges their fathers vision by dedicating the estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon in his honor. This wine reflects all of Giovanni's qualities of age, depth of character and full of life.
Our winemaker, Bruno with wife Michelle and brother Michael continue to produce premium handcrafted wines.
A bit on the Barossa Valley
Adelaide's founder, Colonel William Light, gave the Barossa its name. He journeyed into the area in 1837 and named the "Barrossa Ranges" after the site in Spain of a British victory over the French earlier in the century. A clerical mistake quickly reduced this to "Barossa". German scientist Johannes Menge looked into the valley in 1839 and declared that this was the "cream of South Australia". With astonishing foresight, he called it "New Silesia" and saw it as a place for "flourishing vineyards and orchards and fields of corn…"
Menge, a dramatically eccentric man, was originally employed by the South Australian Company as a geologist. The ultra conservative General Manager of the company, David McLaren, could not cope with Menge and fired him. Interestingly, McLaren's name is remembered in McLaren Vale, South Australia's second major vine-growing area.
Menge's enthusiasm so inspired Charles Flaxman, the personal representative of George Fife Angas, the man behind the scheme that established South Australia, that he promptly bought 28,000 acres of the valley on Angas's behalf - almost bankrupting the company.
Vintage Tait
2014 Tait Shiraz Basket Press Barossa
Price: $55.00 Sale Price: $45.00 Quantity in Stock: 23
(93 Points) The 2014 Shiraz Basket Pressed comes from a different Rowland Flat vineyard from the one that went into this bottling through 2010, with younger vines planted on unirrigated sandy soils. The style remains the same, with big, bold fruit backed by soft oak shadings and ample richness. It's full-bodied and velvety on the palate, with a long, fruit-driven finish. Review Date: 11/2019 Wine Advocate
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