Tahbilk Old and New - 14 Sept 05

© Sean O'Sullivan

Last Sunday Wendy and I headed up to Tahbilk for the day to check out the latest wines. The weather looked promising early on; but by the time we got to Seymour we hit patches of blinding rain. It rained on and off all day; I think I'd forgotten what spring weather is like. After we turned off the Hume, the road out to Nagambie was awash with familiar yellow wattle which was both cheerful and pretty. The countryside was noticeably green and the river was up. I was told they had good winter rains, probably the best in ten years.

The road into the winery has been re-routed and improved; you don't cross the old wooden bridge anymore. You now go past a new riverside cafe. Thankfully, the cellar door is still in the original whitewashed winery and as usual, Mr Purbrick was there with his jams and chutneys on the long row of trestle tables. You can still wander down into the musty, old cellar and see the massive 140 year old casks with the new wines sleeping in them. The familiar faces are still behind the tasting bench; they greet you warmly whether it's your first or twentieth visit. Someone always comes in with a dog and it usually gets a warm, attentive reaction from an animal lover (like Wendy.) When there are no dogs there, Patches, the resident cat makes an appearance, and either sleeps, or watches the swallows flitting in and out of the rafters.

We decided to try the whites first; I only remember the wines that really stood out. We only got through half the wines, and I was spitting because I had to drive. I didn't bother with serious notes - at best I only get a rudimentary idea of the wines when there are so many. The first white we tried, the 2004 Marsanne was a bit flat. When I was asked what I thought of it and had given an honest reply, I was told it had been opened the previous day. An apology was made and a second bottle opened which was much better, but it didn't give up much fruit. By comparison, the following night we had the 2005 Marsanne, which was much fruitier than the leaner, more acidic predecessor. This acid was a common feature in all their 2004 whites.

I tried the 2000 Marsanne next but was surprised at how advanced the development of the wine was; there was loads of colour, citrus and some of the typical honeysuckle you get with the bottled-aged marsannes. I had big expectations when it was first released and it will be interesting to try another bottle and see how it develops.

All their whites are clean and obviously fruit driven. The whites were well made, fresh and showed good varietal character; - the varietal character being a very consistent feature with recent Tahbilk whites. Their whites are terrific value these days and people are starting to realize it, although their marsanne will continue to carry their flag.  The Rhones in particular, (the Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier) are instantly recognizable due to their varietal character. As mentioned, the 2004's had noticeable acidity and seemed leaner than previous vintages; the last few vintages had more generous fruit. The Riesling had obvious passionfruit, the Sav Blanc had abundant tropical fruit, and the Semillon had good intense intense citrus and tropical fruits. The 2003 Chardonnay showed melon and peach; it had a creamy feel, but it's too much like a typical hot climate chardy.

We took a break and walked to the cafe down by the river. You get a good picture of Tahbilk's lagoon setting as the river bends and winds in on itself and the flow slows. Sounds from the frogs and birds on the river islands make it very relaxing - especially when you have lunch and an enjoyable glass of red with it. The cafe is new and while it's pretty typical of a lot of winery cafes, I think it's a positive change and we certainly enjoyed it. They have the Dalfarras wines on tasting in the cafe, including the new Rhone varieties so naturally we tried them. The 2005 Marsanne Viognier had melons, stone fruit and a line of acidity, but sufficient weight and mouth-feel as well. The 2003 Shiraz Viognier showed plums, mulberry and sufficient tannin. I didn't get the usual overt apricot character that you get with a lot of SV, and that's probably why I liked it.

By the time we returned to the cellar door, I knew I was going to have to make some tough choices with the reds. Unfortunately I didn't try the Cab Franc, Sangiovese, Tempranillo or any of the Reserve reds. The Cab Franc and the Reserves are old favourites, but I wanted to try some others this time. The 2004 Merlot was soft with red currant and other berry fruits. It was OK, but not as good as my old favourite, the 2000. The 2001 Malbec really got my attention and was my wine of the day. It was very aromatic; full of plums, mulberry, aniseed and finished long. I could still taste it hours later. The 2002 Shiraz and 2002 Cab Sav are better than the previous vintage. The Shiraz had earthy, plummy, dark fruit elements to it. The Cab Sav had blackcurrant, spice, tannin and some oak. I liked the Cab Sav very much - it was berry fruit driven rather than being leafy, and had good structure. I have drunk their standard Shiraz and Cab Sav for years now, and while they are not all that remarkable as young wines, they can be pretty special as they mature.

On reflection, I wish I had tried the Reserves this time - maybe another time. The reds age really well, both the standards and the Reserves. The reds are distinctly old fashioned and that contributes to  the essence and soul of Tahbilk wines for me. There are tough choices you have to make when you go to the cellar door; do you do the whites and the reds, the Rhones, the old or the new, I can't do them all - unfortunately. I remember when the only Tahbilks I drank were reds - they were bloody big and tannic and that's how I liked them. Maybe Tahbilk isn't the old relic some of us would like to think it is anymore; but you still get a whiff of the past when you visit.