2022 Ansted Osicka Balgownie 1970 Block Cabernet Sauvignon

Totally opaque midnight black dark red core with a dark red hue. Intense ripe blackcurrant aromas combine with plum and liquorice scents followed by some dried herb, vanillin cedar, tobacco, earthy black olive and spice notes. Rich blackcurrant and liquorice fruits are framed by a sturdy tannin structure which imparts a robust, chewy feel across the mid weighted palate. Vanillin cedar, tobacco, earthy dried herb, black olive and spice elements lurk underneath. Excellent concentration, depth and power with a long muscular yet well endowed finish.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc. 13.7%

Other Reviews….
A collaboration between two talented Heathcote winemakers and one special parcel of old-vine cabernet yields super-impressive results. Complexity-plus meets one luxuriously textured, elegant and beautifully crafted cabernet sauvignon. Mulberry, cassis and loganberry lie warmly in the embrace of dried herbs, spice and aniseed – pristine and in balance all the way – against a gentle background of earth and woodsy oak. Fine, dense tannins run long and complete; a faultless piece of fruit sourcing and winemaking. Bravo! Drink by 2038.
97 Points
Jeni Port – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

I tasted this wine earlier this year and was inspired to write a short piece – here. This wine is made by Tobias Ansted (winemaker at the Tellurian vineyard/winery) and Simon Osicka (of Paul Osicka Wines fame). Fair to say that they have done themselves, the grapes, the land and Australian wine history proud here. This wine would make a great pairing with Joshua Cooper’s wine from the same vineyard and year – reviewed by Mike Bennie here. I’m not sure what Balgownie itself made from this vineyard in 2022 though hopefully we will get to taste that too in time.
I love how cabernet this wine is. It has that I’ve got this feel about it, bold and poised at once. It’s a curranty, minty, gravelly wine with a sheer veneer and a masterful roll of tannin. The palate promises a lot but the finish delivers more. There’s a good amount of fruit power here, in an elegant context, though it’s arguably most defined by the cool stare of its finish, which has its eyes fixed on the long distant future. Drink 2028-2045+
96 Points
Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front