2018 The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon
Situated on the southern boundary of Coonawarra (Aboriginal for Honeysuckle), the old Penola Cricket Ground first saw a ball bowled in anger and the flashing cover drives of local champions in 1950, but was retired in 1996. The Barry family purchased the 30 acres of vacant land in 1997. To preserve the a little piece of the of Coonawarra cricketing history, the original pavilion was retained, and the vines, first planted in 1999, were positioned around the cricket pitch.
The bottle label depicts that of an anonymous cricket player playing Don Bradman's famous 'Cover Drive' stroke. ''The Cover Drive is one of the most classic shots in cricket. I was inspired to name our wine in honour of this masterly stroke after purchasing a retired cricket ground in 1997. It seemed only fitting to pay tribute to the history of the land. Like a cover drive, this is a wine full of length and character, to be shared with friends.''
We first released our Cover Driver in 2001 from selected parcels of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, and blended it with fruit from the family's Clare Valley vineyards to create a soft, rich and moreish wine. This practice still continues today, where the grapes are generally harvested after our Clare Valley vineyards. The grapes make the 500 kilometre journey from the Coonawarra in air conditioned trucks to the winery in Clare, where they are crushed and stored in French oak barrels for an appropriate time. The planting of the vineyard is orientated north-south to allow the vines to catch the afternoon sun, with the long summers and cool nights helping to develop intensity and allowing tannins to ripen
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