There is an undeniable connection between the Tahbilk Estate and France's Rhone Valley and that is with the grapes of the Rhone.
The introduction of Rhone varietals to the Estate can be traced back to our earliest days. We have original rootstock Shiraz vines planted on the Estate in 1860 that are amongst the oldest in world given the ravages of Phylloxera through the vineyards of the Rhone Valley that saw older vineyard plantings there decimated. Equally our history with Marsanne can be traced back to the 1860s with the sourcing of ‘White Hermitage’ cuttings from ‘St Hubert’s’ Vineyard in the Yarra Valley, Hermitage being an appellation of the Northern Rhone. Regretfully these original Marsanne plantings have not survived but we still have Marsanne plantings going back to 1927, which, like our 1860 Shiraz, are amongst the oldest in the world.
With the success of Shiraz and Marsanne from the Estate, it was a straightforward decision to extend our Rhone Valley varietals with Roussanne and Viognier planted in 1990 and 2001 respectively and Grenache and Mourvèdre following in 2005.
It’s not all about the vines, there are other intangible connections that could be made between the wines of the Rhone and our own Estate releases. One being the noted food-friendliness of Rhone Valley wines, a characteristic that we pride ourselves on with our Estate varietal releases – wines that complement rather than overpower.
Another would be value for money. Wines of the Rhone particular those of the Southern Rhone, but equally premier Rhone appellation releases compared to the stratospheric prices asked for Bordeaux First Growth wines or Grand Cru Burgundy’s, are noted for being some of the best value wines in the world. Equally noted are Tahbilk releases across Estate and Cellar Door only releases ... the quality delivered relative to the price is a focus in the making as well as being well recognised through press reviews and Wine Club Member feedback. This would even extend to our super-premium ‘1860 Vines’ Shiraz. Sourced from some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world ... minimal production, critically acclaimed and well under half the price of the Grange’s and Hill Of Grace’s of the world.
