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Beneath the Stone: An Exclusive 1860 Vines Shiraz Tasting at Tahbilk
There are wines... and then there are living artefacts—bottled expressions of time, terroir, and tenacity. This August, Tahbilk invites you into the heart of our underground cellar for a rare tasting that honours not just a wine, but a legacy.
We’re offering an exclusive, guided tasting of Tahbilk’s 1860 Vines Shiraz—one of the oldest and most revered single-vineyard wines in the world—held every weekend throughout August.
The Vines That Time Forgot
Planted by hand in the 1860s on the banks of the Goulburn River, the 1860 Shiraz vines are among the oldest surviving ungrafted Shiraz vines on Earth. They stand defiantly on their own roots—pre-phylloxera, never replanted—surviving over 160 seasons of drought, flood, frost, and fortune. Today, just a half-hectare remains, lovingly tended with minimal intervention, hand picking, and the kind of patient winemaking that respects age and place.
This is not just a vineyard—it is a viticultural relic. A national treasure that yields fruit in quantities so small, and of such quality that a release is only made in the finest years.
A Wine of Rarity and Reputation
The 1860 Vines Shiraz is Tahbilk’s super-premium flagship wine. Crafted using traditional methods—fermentation in original 19th-century open oak vats and maturation in carefully selected French oak—it is bottled in tiny quantities, often less than 200 cases per vintage.
Critics and collectors around the world have taken note:
Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine places it in the highest category: "Outstanding"—a status reserved for Australia’s most collectable and consistently exceptional wines.
James Halliday and Wine Companion have awarded multiple vintages 96 points, citing balance, complexity, and cellaring power.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and James Suckling have also scored recent releases at 96/100, praising the 2016 vintage for its elegance, spice, and dark fruit purity.
Wine Enthusiast named it one of Australia’s most limited and collectable wines, describing the 2000 vintage as “focused, juicy and sophisticated,” and noting that only 100–200 cases are made annually.
Each bottle is individually numbered and aged for years before release. This is a wine designed for long cellaring—20 years or more—yet it offers compelling complexity and grace even in youth.
The Tasting Experience
Set within Tahbilk’s underground cellar, built in the 19th century from local stone and still echoing with the cool hush of time, this 45-minute tasting includes:
A vertical exploration of six vintages:
2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and a pre-release tasting of the yet-to-be-released 2018 vintage.Guided insights from a Tahbilk wine ambassador, who will take you through the stories behind each season—how the climate, soil, and vines shaped each wine—and offer an in-depth look at how these rare wines have developed over time.
This is an exceptional opportunity to compare vintages, to experience both youthful energy and developed elegance, and to gain a deeper understanding of the way time speaks through great wine.
Tasting Details
Duration: 45 minutes
Available: Every weekend throughout August
Location: Tahbilk Underground Cellar
Price: $20 per person
Wine Club Members: Complimentary – use code 1860Vines to book
Accessibility: Ramp access available upon request (please advise ahead of time)
A Collector’s Encounter
With extremely limited seating and only a handful of these wines made available for public tasting each year, this experience is designed for the serious wine lover, the collector, and the curious palate seeking something truly exceptional.
Whether you have cellared Tahbilk vintages for decades or are meeting our flagship Shiraz for the first time, this is your invitation to taste a wine that has outlived generations—and continues to define excellence in Australian winemaking.
