Ansted & Osicka Balgownie 1970 Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2025 is the final vintage from one of Australia’s most historically significant Cabernet vineyards — planted in 1970 by Stuart Anderson at Maiden Gully, Bendigo, on the once gold-bearing alluvial clay loam of Myers Creek. Over 55 years, these own-rooted vines have consistently produced Cabernet of extraordinary depth and character, and the 2025 is no exception. Medium-bodied and beautifully structured, with blackcurrant, cassis, red licorice, dark olive, herbs, and a whisper of graphite — firm, long, and age-worthy to 2050. Awarded 96 Points by Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front. This is the last bottle of a great Australian vineyard. Don’t miss it.
Tasting Notes
Appearance
Deep ruby-red with vibrant intensity — the concentration and depth characteristic of old-vine Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignon from the historic Balgownie 1970 Block at Maiden Gully.
Aroma
Complex and deeply inviting — cassis, blackberry, and loganberry lead with the full spectrum of old-vine Cabernet character, complemented by dark olive, tilled earth, leaf, clove, and herbs. The sophisticated aromatic profile of a vineyard planted in 1970 and grown on its own roots for over 55 years.
Palate
Medium-bodied yet intense — deep, concentrated black fruit of cassis, blackberry, and loganberry balanced by fine tannins against a gentle cedary oak background. Dark olive, tilled earth, leaf, clove, herbal notes, red licorice, iodine, saltbush, vanilla, and a whisper of graphite add extraordinary complexity and regional character. The finish is long, refined, and sinewy — one of the great Cabernet finishes of the vintage.
Pairs With
Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary, aged cheddar or vintage Gouda, grilled ribeye steak with herb butter, mushroom and truffle risotto, or venison with blackberry jus — the fine tannins, concentrated black fruit, and herbal complexity of Ansted & Osicka 1970 Block Cabernet make it a natural partner for the finest food at the table.
Reviews
“This is your last chance to purchase a slice of Australian wine history. At A$60 it’s an absolute snip; it’s worth thrice that, all things considered. It’s a medium-weight wine of firmness and length. It’s exactly what Cabernet Sauvignon should be. It tastes of blackcurrant, red licorice, iodine, saltbush, vanilla, an array of herbs and twiggy spice notes; it even carries a whisper of graphite. It’s so firm and yet so at-ease with its firmness. It’s beautifully long; the finish here is one seductive, sinewy sashay. You can drink this now; it has the balance. But if you stuck this in the cellar it would still be drinking beautifully in 25 years time.”
— 96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 20 July 2026
Who Should Drink This?
This is a wine for lovers of serious, age-worthy Australian Cabernet Sauvignon — and for anyone who understands the significance of what is being lost when a vineyard planted in 1970 is sold and its vines removed. The 2025 is the final vintage of the 1970 Block; there will be no more. At $60 it represents extraordinary value for a wine of this historical significance, critical acclaim, and cellaring potential. Buy it, drink it, and remember it.
Why Is The 1970 Block Famous?
The Balgownie 1970 Block is one of Australia’s most historically significant Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards — planted by Stuart Anderson at Maiden Gully, Bendigo, in 1970, on the once gold-bearing alluvial clay loam of Myers Creek. The vineyard has always grown great Cabernet; it has always been a great vineyard. The wines produced from these vines by Tobias Ansted and Simon Osicka — between them carrying over 74 vintages of experience — have been among the most critically acclaimed and historically resonant Australian Cabernets of recent years. The 2025 is the last.
Is It Worth Ageing?
Emphatically yes — Campbell Mattinson notes the 2025 would still be drinking beautifully in 25 years. The fine tannins, remarkable structure, and concentrated old-vine fruit provide a framework for decades of further development. Drink now with decanting to appreciate its immediate balance and complexity, or cellar to 2045–2050 for the full expression of one of Australia’s great Cabernet vineyards in its final vintage. Store on its side in a cool, dark environment.
What’s Similar?
Lovers of Ansted & Osicka 1970 Block Cabernet may also enjoy other old-vine Bendigo and Heathcote Cabernet expressions for a comparable regional intensity and structure, or explore Mount Mary Quintet and Yering Station Reserve Cabernet for a similar cool-climate Victorian elegance and age-worthiness. Nothing, however, will replace the 1970 Block.
Why Do Critics Love It?
Campbell Mattinson’s 96-point score and his passionate, elegiac review capture everything that makes this wine extraordinary — the historical significance of the vineyard, the extraordinary value at $60, and the sheer quality of the wine itself. “It’s exactly what Cabernet Sauvignon should be” is as clear and unambiguous a critical endorsement as Australian wine receives. This is a wine that will be mourned when it is gone.
