Description

PRODUCER:
Established in 1860, Tahbilk is an historic family-owned winery, renowned for its rare aged Marsanne. The estate has the world’s largest single holding of the varietal and produces Marsanne from vines established in 1927, which are among the oldest in the world. Tahbilk is known as ‘tabilk tabilk’ in the language of the Daungwurrung clans, which translates as the ‘place of many waterholes’. It perfectly describes this premium viticultural landscape, which is located in the Nagambie Lakes region of Central Victoria. The estate comprises 1,214 hectares, including a seven-mile frontage to the Goulburn River. Environmental sustainability is paramount at Tahbilk and in 2013 they became carbon neutral. In 2016, Tahbilk was awarded ‘Winery of the Year’ by James Halliday.

VINEYARD:
Tahbilk’s vineyards are grouped along the banks of the Goulburn River and an anabranch of it which flows through the estate. The vines are grown at 134 metres elevation of gently undulating and flat terrain. The soils are sandy loam with ferric oxide content, which varies from very fine sand near the anabranch to denser loams on the plains. The estate blocks planted before 1986 are on ARG rootstocks, and the vines are trained on a single wire trellis with a mixture of head and cordon training, with cane and spur pruning. Tahbilk’s vines are sustainably cultivated; composting and mulching take place, which improves soil health by promoting earthworm activity. Mulching helps to control weeds and conserves water, reducing vine stress. The old vines were hand-picked, younger vines were machine-harvested.

WINEMAKING:
The wine was made reductively, without contact with oxygen, to preserve the fresh, fruity character. After destemming, the grapes were lightly crushed and cooled through a heat exchanger, then pressed. The pressings were vinified separately; each was clarified and fermented with neutral yeasts at 10 to 12°C. The wine did not undergo malolactic conversion to preserve its crisp character. It was then stabilised, medium filtered and blended before bottling.

VINTAGE:
2022 saw a mild spring, with some spring frost events, especially during flowering, resulting in lower than average crop levels. The weather warmed up into summer, enabling the vines to ripen well and reach good maturity levels. The harvest period was generally fine, and the wines show excellent fruit-forward flavours across all varieties.

TASTING NOTE:
Grapefruit zest and citrus floral aromas are carried through to a decidedly lively, mineral palate complemented by pear, Granny Smith apple and citrus fruits.

GRAPES:
Marsanne 100%.

AWARDS:
• SWA By the Glass, Sommelier Wine Awards, 2025
• Gold, Sommelier Wine Awards, 2025