_900.png "New Release: Tahbilk Estate 2022 Shiraz")
New Release: 2022 Tahbilk Estate Shiraz
Our Wine of the Month for July — A Vibrant Expression of Place and Season
There’s no grape more emblematic of Tahbilk than Shiraz. Grown on our Estate since the 1860s, Shiraz is more than a variety here — it’s a living connection to our past and a foundation for our future.
This July, we’re proud to release the 2022 Tahbilk Estate Shiraz — a wine shaped by a challenging growing season, traditional winemaking techniques, and the quiet confidence of a vineyard with over 160 years of experience behind it.
As our Wine of the Month, it’s being celebrated across the Estate with special tastings, offers, and stories — and we’d love for you to discover it for yourself.
A Difficult Vintage Yields a Distinctive Wine
The 2022 growing season was not without its trials. A windy spring disrupted fruit set across much of the Estate, leading to fewer berries per bunch and significantly reduced yields, with some blocks down as much as 40%.
However, while the crop was small, the fruit that remained on the vine benefited from a long, cool ripening period, enhancing flavour concentration and preserving fresh acidity. These slower, gentler conditions were well suited to Shiraz — especially in a cool climate like Nagambie Lakes — producing wines with lifted aromatics, bright fruit, and elegant structure.
Winemaking with Patience and Tradition
In keeping with our time-honoured approach, the 2022 Shiraz was fermented in open-top vats, with regular hand-plunging and pump-overs to gently extract colour and tannin.
Post-fermentation, the wine was matured in a mix of French and American oak barrels, mostly seasoned, for 12 months — softening the structure and building complexity without overpowering the fruit.
All of this took place in our historic underground cellars, hand-dug in the 1860s, where naturally cool, stable conditions allow the wine to evolve gracefully and at its own pace.
Tasting Notes – From Holly Cusworth, Cellar Door Manager
"A few swirls of the glass has ripe plum, blackberry and violet aromas coming through, with white pepper and boysenberry rounding out the nose."
"The palate has a surprising initial softness … the tannin glides across the back. There’s a tart cranberry acidity that knocks the balance off slightly, making it a little more crunchy when drinking young — but this will even out with some time in bottle."
"Very much a cool climate style Shiraz, which is reflective of the 2022 vintage."
Cool Climate Character | Cellaring Potential
This wine is already drinking beautifully with its bright fruit and soft entry, especially with food that plays into its spice and crunch: think pepper-crusted lamb, duck with cherries, or a smoky grilled vegetable stack.
That said, it’s built to evolve. Holly recommends:
Drink now over the next 2 years
Rest for 3–5 years to allow balance to develop
Enjoy through to around 2034
The wine’s natural acidity, refined tannins and modest oak profile all support graceful ageing, particularly for those who enjoy a more savoury, complex style of Shiraz.
Wine of the Month – July at Tahbilk
Throughout July, we’re celebrating the 2022 Estate Shiraz as our Wine of the Month, with:
Complimentary tastings at the Cellar Door
Special offers for Wine Club members
Behind-the-scenes stories on the vintage, winemaking and maturation
And the chance to experience a distinctive, cool-climate expression of a timeless Tahbilk varietal
Available Now
The 2022 Tahbilk Estate Shiraz is available for purchase now, both online and through our Cellar Door.
Despite the vintage’s reduced yields, what emerged is a wine that’s full of energy and expression — a snapshot of season, soil and Shiraz through the lens of Tahbilk.
