THE '1860 VINES' STORY ...
As original as the Estate itself, these un-grafted, pre-phylloxera Shiraz plantings are amongst the oldest in the world. The vines have survived Phylloxera – the vine louse that decimated Europe’s vineyards and arrived at Tahbilk in the late 1800s – as well as Mother Nature’s droughts, floods and killer frosts.
Our ‘1860 Vines’ planting was nominated by renowned USA Wine & Spirits magazine as one of the 25 Great Vineyards of the World. The vineyards selected were those where the terroir – the total environment of a place, including soil, climate, aspect, vine and even history “is most clearly perceptible in the wine.”
Wine auctioneers Langton’s recently released Classification of Australian Wine VII lists Tahbilk’s ‘1860 Vines’ Shiraz releases as ‘Outstanding’, defined as “the best of Australian Wine making practices, vineyard provenance and regional voice”. “The exquisite and increasingly rare 1860 Vines Shiraz … typically possesses violet, herb garden, blackberry and chocolate aromas, loose-knit gravelly tannin structures, and underlying roasted walnut and chestnut notes.”
Since the 1979 vintage inaugural release under Alister’s tutelage, these wines have become one of the world’s most sought after wine collectables and, more importantly, sublime drinks.
Enjoy Now to 2040+
Considered to be among the most outstanding vintages for Tahbilk reds, our "1860 Vines" release from 2015 is equal to that billing.
A richly flavoured backbone of dark cherry and red berry fruits mesh seamlessly with dried herb, savoury and truffle flavours. Time spent in a mix of new and older French oak barrels adds texture, spice and cedar notes, the tannins are fine grained, the finish prodigiously long.
A super elegant and sophisticated wine, that appropriately features an adaption of an original 1870s label.
From a small 160- year-old plot at Nagambie, Victoria, this complex wine offers earthy, gamey, truffly and minty notes to enhance juicy raspberry-like fruit. It’s profound, balanced, lingering and savoury, evolving with air. Tradition in a bottle.”
Ralph Kyte-Powell | Sydney Morning Herald ‘Special Occasion Wines worth Saving Up For’
"The youthful colour, the flavours, tannins and acidity all come from a small sandy rise immune to the ravages of phylloxera. The inclusion of a small amount of new French oak has lifted the opening stanza, and the vintage conditions were considered to be among the best for many years. Its value cannot be adequately measured in points."
James Halliday | www.winecompanion.com.au
“This rewards decanting and airing, yielding up berry fruit, earthy dried herb and cured-meat aromas, very complex and not simple to describe.
It’s elegant and subtly complex, well-proportioned and delicious. A wine of mystery and substance.” 96 POINTS | 5 GOLD STAR
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine - Top 10 New Release Australian Reds
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