Tahbilk: Australia's Lopez de Heredia

One wine story has always had a particular resonance with me. Years ago the K&L Spanish wine buyer was touring the subterranean cellars of Rioja’s most historic producer, Lopez de Heredia. While walking past their century-old wooden vats, he noticed a drip of dark purple wine leaking down the side of the tank. When this was pointed out to the cellar master, he acknowledged it was extremely old, then proceeded to pick up a nearby bucket of lamb fat. Scooping out a dollop and rolling into a ball between his palms, he slapped it on top of the leak, sealing it before continuing matter-of-factly back into the depths of the cellar.

I’ve always wondered why this story has stuck with me so strongly. I think it is because it captures so many aspects of why we love wine; the authenticity, the physical history, and the unique character of a wine that can come from nowhere else.

Last June while touring the wineries of Victoria, Australia, and I had an experience that was as close as you can come to Lopez: Tahbilk. About forty minutes outside Melbourne, as the suburbs and development communities give way to the marshlands of the Murray River, Australia’s most iconic vineyards lie surrounded by swamp land of the Nagambie Lakes, with history everywhere you look.

Founded in 1860–nearly two decades before Lopez de Heredia and on the other side of the world, Tahbilk was planted with classic varieties of the Northern Rhône–Shiraz and Marsanne. Originally a way-station between Melbourne and Sydney, their original stables and tack house still sit intact on the property. As I walked around their historic grounds, one look at their iconic tower was all it took to get my heart racing. They have their own subterranean cellars lined with ancient casks, each wine scribbled in chalk across its front. And even more amazing is their old patch Shiraz–a single-vineyard block of surviving vines that date back to 1860 and produce one of the greatest old-vine wines on the planet.

In 1927, Tahbilk was purchased by the Pubrick family, who have acted as custodians of this treasured estate for three generations and continue to produce the wines today. Back in 1927, their first order of business was to replace their old, diseased-ridden Marsanne with healthier, more productive vines. The results were met with immediate acclaim. Over the years they have continued planting and today Tahbilk Marsanne is a nationally recognized white wine across Australia. In fact, Tahbilk grows more Marsanne today than any grower in the Rhône and is the largest producer of Marsanne worldwide.

But that original patch of Marsanne planted in 1927 that started it all is still alive and producing. It is bottled as the 1927 Marsanne and given an additional five years in bottle before release. Wine geeks everywhere are going to give me grief for this, but I honestly feel that this wine is every bit as good as Lopez de Heredia’s unicorn-status Gravonia. They are both late releases that have an incredible, distinctive profile. The Gravonia with candied orange peel, and rich mouthfeel, the Tahbilk 1927 Marsanne with lanolin, minerality, and a gentle sweet citrus. Both have massive depth and lengthy finish, as the incredible ability to shift and morph their flavor profiles as they warm in the glass. The biggest difference between these two wines is their availability.  The Gravonia is nearly impossible to find, but the Tahbilk 1927 Marsanne is readily available on the shelves here at K&L.

Ultimately, Tahbilk makes me feel the same way about wine as Lopez de Heredia, because it has all of those ingredients that pull on the heartstrings of those who love wine. The authenticity, the sense of place, the stories and efforts of multi-generational vignerons whose work spans over a century and a consistent focus on hand crafting beautiful wines. Here are a few you should try:

2016 Tahbilk "1927 Vines" Marsanne Nagambie Lakes Victoria $24.99 95JH I was pouring a tasting the other month and a customer asked me a daunting question–what is your favorite Australian wine? This was my answer. The aromatics here are herbaceous and tangy, with plenty of citrus including toasted grapefruit and satsuma orange. The first signs of tertiary aging are starting to peek through on this 2016, but no rush on this one. While delicious now, I’ve had this wine at the 10, 15, and 20 year mark–at this wine just keeps getting better.

The 2019 Tahbilk "Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon Nagambie Lakes Victoria $16.99 92JH is a traditional Australian Cabernet, no two ways about it. It's a bold and powerful wine, rich with flavors of concentrated cassis, coupled with hints of mushroom and a touch of toasted oak. On the palate, there’s an abundance of dense fruit. There’s nothing medium-bodied about this. And yet, it still manages to walk a line of balance with an underlying acidity that cuts back into the fruit. Baking spices come roaring in at this finish, leaving a few crackling embers of tannin in its wake. This is ideal for a casual burger, or my favorite: pizza. Delicious.

2015 Tahbilk "1860 Vines" Shiraz Nagambie Lakes Victoria $149.99 96JH The Tahbilk 1860 vines is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, commercially producing vineyards on the planet. Grown on their own roots in sandy marshland these vines have survived floods, storms, fires, and disease for over 164 years. Astounding. Equally amazing is the wine they produce. This is nothing like the Shiraz you would expect from down under. At a mere 13.5% abv, the wine is aromatically driven with cassis, mint leaf, forest floor, and black truffle. It receives an additional 5 years in bottle before release, but is still structurally poised with rigid tannin that will require a decant in the near term, but crafted for the cellar. Only 24 bottles imported to the U.S.

- Thomas Smith, K&L Australian Wine Buyer