2020 Tahbilk Old Vines Cabernet Shiraz, Nagambie Lakes

Shows plenty of Tahbilk personality: relaxed and confident, no show-off. It's all about keeping true to an evergreen house style. Emphasises warm, ripe, sweet blackberried fruit and baking spices, earth, briar, chocolate and gentle woodsy oak against a firm tannin background. Has further cellaring age on its mind.

94 points Jeni Port winecompanion.com.au

Tahbilk Old Vines Cabernet Shiraz from Nagambie Lakes is a wonderfully soulful, richly coloured and classically structured red built on some of the oldest and most historic plantings in Victoria. Tahbilk is one of Australia’s true heritage estates, established in the eighteen sixties, with vineyards that sit beside the Goulburn River on alluvial sands, red earth and ancient river gravels. The region’s unique climate, moderated by the network of inland waterways and billabongs, gives the wines an unmistakable freshness and elegance that sets them apart from richer inland styles. These old Cabernet and Shiraz vines, many decades into their life, deliver tiny crops of deeply concentrated berries packed with perfume, savoury nuance and firm, noble tannins.

The winery’s approach is resolutely traditional. Fruit is hand picked where possible, fermented in open vats, basket pressed, and matured in a mix of large, seasoned French and American oak that allows the fruit and vineyard character to shine. The result is a wine with both power and restraint, generosity and structure, a nod to the great Australian Cabernet Shiraz blends of the past while still feeling lively and modern.

The aromatics are lifted and complex, opening with blackcurrant, mulberry and blackberry alongside plum, violet and blueberry. Layers of cedar, dried herbs, red earth, cocoa and subtle mint weave through the bouquet, reflecting both the old vines and the cooling influence of Nagambie Lakes. As it breathes, nuances of tobacco leaf, graphite, warm spices and sweet soil deepen the profile.

The palate is full, finely woven and beautifully balanced. Dark berry fruits glide across firm yet silky tannins, held together by vibrant natural acidity that gives the wine drive and freshness. Flavours of blackcurrant, plum skin, cherry, bay leaf, pepper and savoury earth build steadily, supported by gentle oak warmth. The finish is long and composed, with lingering fruit, herbs and a quietly mineral echo. This is a wine with serious ageing potential: ten to fifteen years will bring cigar box, leather, forest floor and deep secondary complexity.

Superb with roast lamb, beef rib, slow cooked brisket, chargrilled vegetables, hearty stews, mushroom dishes, aged cheddar, grilled sausages or anything cooked over fire.