Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Tait from Barossa Valley, Australia. Tait has been establishing a track record for hedonistically rendered wines at consumer friendly prices for several years. Previous vintages of this wine have been smash hits and the 2006 The Ball Buster is a lock to continue the trend. It is a 15,000 case cuvee, all of which was basket-pressed, a labor-intensive process not commonly associated with a wine in this price category. The wine is composed of 78% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot aged for 12 months in used French and American oak. Purple-colored, it exhibits a classy bouquet of cedar, earth, tar, espresso, blueberry, black currants, and licorice. Supple, ripe and soft on the palate, this seamless, crowd-pleaser of a wine can be enjoyed now and over the next several years. It is an awesome value. - Wine Advocate