Opening a bottle of Tahbilk is like saluting the God of Australian Wine. The First Winery in Victoria, Tahbilk has some of the oldest vines in the world- making their wines comparable to some of the best in the world! With heritage like that it means the brand needs to be offering competitive wines that reflect both their old world roots, as well as their new world techniques.
Their Riesling is the perfect representation of that, all the charm of what the grape is renowned for - it's elegant, delicate and has that traditional sherbert presence, but it is also restrained and has plenty of lime acidity. Lifted zesty characters, floral notes of range blossom aromas and a soft talc end note. The palate is packed full of intense citrus flavours of lemon, lime and grapefruit with a hint of musk and lovely minerality. An excellent crisp, clean, refined acid line aid with the persistent, lingering finish. The new '16 vintage is everything you want in a youthful Riesling, it's fresh, it's packed full of flavour and matches perfectly with a summer day on a picnic blanket.
Awards and Accolades
2015 Vintage: 92 Points "Tahbilk's Riesling is more often than not overlooked, the focus being firmly on Marsanne, but it has won a fair share of medals over the years. This is immediately appealing, with Meyer lemon and lime flavours, making it a classic each way proposition."
From the Winery
With plantings dating back to 1975, Riesling is second only to our iconic Marsanne as being the longest serving Estate white and like Marsanne there is added character and complexity to be realised with cellaring.
Established in 1860 Tahbilk is one of Australia's most beautiful & historic wineries. Located in the Nagambie Lakes region of central Victoria (120kms north of Melbourne), one of the nation's premium viticultural areas, the property comprises some 1,214 hectares of rich river flats with a frontage of 11 kms to the Goulburn River and 8 kms of permanent backwaters & creeks.
The vineyard comprises 200 hectares of vines including the French Rhone Valley whites of Marsanne, Viognier & Roussanne; the Rhone reds - Shiraz, Grenache & Mourvedre; along with traditional varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc & Verdelho.
Vineyard plantings extend back to Tahbilk's founding with original pre-phylloxera Shiraz vines still surviving from 1860 - an eponymous wine produced from them since 1979.
Tahbilk is further blessed with an abundance of further "old vine" plantings including Shiraz from 1933 (the prime source for Tahbilk's 'Eric Stevens Purbrick' Shiraz releases), Cabernet Sauvignon back to 1949 and Marsanne from 1927 (a "sister" white release to the 1860 Vines Shiraz produced from them). Harvest commences in early March and continues for five to six weeks with approximately 1,600 tonnes (red & white) grapes processed.
