95 points - "One of the top value Aussie whites going – year in, year out. It is unwooded and so the purity of varietal expression is keen, with the prettiest of spring florals on display and a brightness of citrus that sparks the palate. Honeysuckle, citrus blossom and acacia work with citrus, quince, green apple and a lemon sorbet tang to ignite the tastebuds, hand in hand with juicy acidity. A mid-palate creaminess opens up the food-matching possibilities. I'm thinking lobster meunière. As for ageing? It's up for a decade or more." - Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)

One of the world’s rarest grape varieties with its origins in the Northern Rhone and Hermitage regions of France, Tahbilk has some of the oldest vines and largest single holding of Marsanne in the world.

Tahbilk’s history with Marsanne can be traced back to the 1860’s with the sourcing of ‘White Hermitage’ cuttings from the ‘St Huberts’ Vineyard in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. The cuttings were in fact Marsanne but sadly none of these plantings have survived. The Estate still does however produce Marsanne from vines established in 1927 – some of the oldest in the world.

Tahbilk Marsanne has a dedicated global following due to its thrilling character and appeal as a young wine with intense lemon, citrus and tropical fruits on a crisp mineral edged finish.

It’s proven ability to develop added complexity and character if cellared, when rich honeysuckle and citrus marmalade characters come to the fore, has led to the Purbrick family to set aside small quantities of each vintage to be then made available when bottle-aged.
As a young wine Marsanne is very much a 'universal-soldier' when it comes to food matches but certainly light Mediterranean and Asian dishes would be well up that list.
As it ages then its more full-bodied character would lend itself very well to richer and deeper flavoured white meat and seafood curries and stews.

Specificationsi
Alcohol 12.5%
Varietal White - Marsanne
Vintage 2023
Cellaring Enjoy Now to 2028/2030
Wine Region Estate | Nagambie Lakes
Vintage Notesi
Vintage 2023
At Tahbilk, we like to say that every bottle tells a story, so in that case, the stories behind Vintage 2023 will be some of the most dramatic.
In October 2022, Tahbilk Estate bore the brunt of a 1 in 100-year flood, which affected our vines, impacted yields, and affected us, the Tahbilk team. Our vines have bounced back, thankfully with no long-term damage and minimal, if any attrition. In fact, if you walk around today you couldn’t tell that over half of the vineyard had been under water. As for the team, this challenge will ultimately make us stronger.

Then, as with every season, we were presented with a ‘normal’ set of issues around the weather, adding further to our taxing season. The summer’s heat came quickly, and the ground once full of water was dry again, so we irrigated. Then the rain came, we stopped irrigating and waited for the weather to pass.
It then became cool, the length of the season caught up with us, and not everything ripened so sadly we ended up leaving fruit on the vines … including our iconic 1860 Shiraz!