Established: 1860
Location: 8km south-west of Nagambie off the Goulburn Valley Highway.
Winemaker: Alister Purbick.
Important Varietals: Marsanne, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Personal Comments:
This is the type of winery that I really like: steeped in history, a fabulous wine list, and none of the over-blown commercialism that detracts from such establishments as the nearby Michelton, in my view. Some visitors might consider the tasting room's high ceiling, wooden floor and roughly plastered walls as being rather old-fashioned - I think of it as adding to the charm of the place. It is still possible to descend the rickety staircase (almost a ladder dropping down from the centre of the tasting room floor) to the extensive cellars underneath the winery. There isn't a lot to see other than the row upon row of large, and very large, wooden wine casks but it's worth having a wander to get a good feel for the place and its history before trying the wines on offer upstairs.
The major varietals here are the Shiraz, Marsanne and Cabernet Sauvignon. The first two of these are interesting in that the winery boasts some vines which survived the Phylloxera epidemic in the 1860s. These vines are still producing and the resultant wines are just wonderful.
I recently (06.12.1995) tried a bottle of the 1977 Shiraz and I must say that it was starting to look and taste a little tired. There was a noticeable brownish tinge to the wine as it was poured, not much on the nose, and an almost acid-free mellow taste on the palate. It wasn't over the top by any means but had passed its peak. These comments read like I didn't enjoy the wine which is far from the truth. It was very pleasant and certainly worth drinking - I just wish I'd had the chance to do so a few years ago.
The Age Epicure wine staff recently (April 1996) conducted their
quarterly new release tasting and rated the following Chateau Tahbilk
wines:
4 and a half stars: Riesling 1995 ($12.25), Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
1985 ($60.90).
4 stars: Marsanne 1995 ($12.25), Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 ($14.65),
Shiraz 1993 ($14.65).
Best Recent Vintages:
The winery's recent newsletter (Number 8, November 1996) provided the following Wine Vintage Chart:
Year 1860 Vines Special Cabernet Dry
Shiraz Bin Red Sauvignon Shiraz White
1980 - 5b 5c 5c 7c
1981 7b 7b 7b 7c 4d
1982 6b 6b 5b 4b 7c
1983 - 6b 6b - 4d
1984 7b 6b 5b 5b 5d
1985 6b 5b 5b 4b 5c
1986 7b 7b 7b 6b 5c
1987 6b - 5b 5b 6b
1988 6b 6b 5b 5b 6b
1989 6b - 4b 4b 7b
1990 6b 6b 5b 5b 6b
1991 7a 7a 7a 7a 6b
1992 7a 6a 6a 6a 7b
1993 - - 6a 5a 6b
1994 - - 6a 6a 6a
1995 - - 6a 6a 6a
1996 - - - - 6a
Code Red Wine White Wine
Cellaring Potential Cellaring Potential
1-2 6-10 years 1-3 years
3-4 10-15 years 3-4 years
5 15-20 years 5-6 years
6 20-25 years 7-10 years
7 25 plus years 10 plus years
a - Young, b- Improving, c - Ready, d - Declining, p - Past
Other Web Pages
This page, and all contents, are copyright © 1995-2001 by Perry Middlemiss, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Return to Larrikin Wineries page.
Last modified: March 30, 2001.