Tahbilk Marsanne and 1927 Vines Marsanne vertical – 4 February 2026

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

As usual, a bunch of us gathered at the ever reliable and always wonderful Lulu’s Little Bistro in Perth.

Tahbilk’s Marsanne has been on my radar on and off since 1995. In that year, I attended a Bjork concert in the Swan Valley with a bunch of industry types (I was not one) and we picnicked beforehand. The wine that stuck with me from that night was a 1992 Tahbilk Marsanne, and I sought out the wine thereafter.

Tahbilk is a winery that Halliday reckons “should be visited once by every wine-conscious Australian) and I made that pilgrimage in 2012. Tahbilk wines - The Auswine Forum
I’ve subsequently hosted a couple of verticals of Tahbilk wines, including the Marsanne:
Tahbilk Marsanne Vertical Tasting 2018-2006, October 2019 - The Auswine Forum

And more recently their Eric Stevens Purbrick reds: Tahbilk wines - The Auswine Forum

Anyway, there are two versions of the Marsanne. One is the standard model, and one is made from the original 1927 plantings of Marsanne, which I believe remain the oldest Marsanne vines in the world. They’re all relatively low alcohol (10.5% to 12.5% in these cases).

The current release of the 1927 Vines Marsanne is 2017, so I thought it was appropriate to offer a couple of younger vintages of the standard Marsanne first. The standard model is well known for ageing well (up to 10 years and occasionally a couple more), so we tested that a little.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2025 (12% alcohol): The current release. Pale lemon in colour. The nose shows some delicacy, with lemon, honeysuckle, fresh cut pear, white blossoms and a hint of ginger. The palate is clean with more lemon (not tangy), a hint of lanolin and is also delicate and lightly refreshing. Medium acidity only and moderate length. At this stage, early in its lifespan and an undemanding wine (with potential, of course).

Tahbilk Marsanne 2024 (12.5% alcohol): Pale lemon. Similar to the 2025: pear, lemon, honeysuckle with some orange blossom and one taster noted rhubarb. On the palate, the lemon was more tangy than on the 2025 and there’s a little more palate weight. Apricot, mandarin peel (one taster went for burnt orange) fills out the palate and there’s medium length.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2019 (12% alcohol): Lemon colour. Honeysuckle on the nose, with some honey /mead notes, orange peel and tinned pear. A couple of tasters detected a touch of kero (similar to older Rieslings but in my opinion not as pronounced as some can be). There’s more honeysuckle and lanolin on the palate. Acid is fairly low and there’s a slightly oily texture (similar to some viognier). The palate has filled out nicely and there’s more intensity as a result. Medium to long finish and well regarded by the group.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2017 (12% alcohol): Lemon colour. Less fruit on the nose than previous wines, with honeysuckle and savoury notes, Surprisingly, slightly less intense on the [alate than the 2019) with honeysuckle and savoury notes following through. There’s some dried apricot, orange peel and marmalade. Unfortunately (and deliberately) this was shown next to the 1927 Vines version …………


Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2017 (10.5% alcohol): Pale lemon colour, and noticeably lighter than it’s stablemate. There’s lemon, grapefruit and orange sherbet on the nose, with some salinity. The palate follows with orange/lemon (I am advised there is a fruit that combines the two), lemonade (that one I understood), lemon peel and pith. Medium acid (higher than the previous wines) and good length. More intense that any of the previous wines, while still retaining youth and delicacy. Too young in the opinion of the group and well regarded.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2014 (11% alcohol): Pale lemon colour. A surprisingly shy nose compared to the 2017, with lanolin and lemon barley. A clean and more intense palate, however again with some delicacy. Spring water, quite intense lemon, lanolin, parmesan rind and one taster noted nectarine. Similar acid to the 2017 and a medium to long finish.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2013 (11% alcohol): For me, this is (and always has been) an outlier in the range – the colour is darker than any of the wines (except the 2000, for reasons we will explore later). Preserved lemon, honeysuckle, and bruised apple, with a touch of kero on the nose. The palate is developed, with lanolin, honeysuckle, cheese rind and salty citrus fruits, A couple of tasters noted a touch of Fino sherry but the wine is not oxidised. Medium acid and length.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2012 (11% alcohol): Lemon colour. A delicate nose, with pear, apple, tangy lemon and citrus pith. Slight touch of kero as well. The palate is slightly saline and mineral (one taster went for oyster shell) with lanolin, medium acid and length. This wine was well regarded by the group, and the question started to emerge about the longevity of these wines.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2010 (11.5% alcohol): Lemon colour. A delicate nose again, with lemon sorbet and some pithiness. We also saw some sage and general herbaceousness. There’s delicate citrus, grapefruit, lime cordial and lanolin on the palate, and moderate acid. There’s a slight oily texture as well and the wine remains remarkably youthful.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2008 (11.5% alcohol): Lemon colour. Salted / preserved lemon on the nose, with honeysuckle and lanolin. All of these flow through the palate and there’s a fair amount of body and acid. The wine finishes long. If the 2010 was youthful, then this wine is incredibly youthful.

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2004 (11% alcohol): Lemon colour – there really isn’t much difference in colour in the last few wines. Again, a delicate nose, with lemon, honeysuckle, and a touch of ginger marmalade. There’s more honeysuckle on the nose, with moderate lemon, marmalade and a slight lime cordial. Medium or above acid and a long finish. If the 2010 is youthful, then this wine is fantastically youthful Well regarded by the group (as most of the last couple were).

Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2000 (11% alcohol): Deep gold colour. This was the only wine of the tasting under cork, and no doubt redeems Tahbilk’s decision to move entirely to screwcap soon thereafter. What we saw was actually quite a good manzanilla sherry (without the alcohol) which went well with blue cheese. There was caramel, butterscotch and the nutty characters you would expect from this style of sherry. We wonder what it would have been like under screwcap, given the incredible youth of the preceding wines.

The 1927 Vines wines might well last forever under screwcap. Our experience certainly points in this direction, with the Tahbilk ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne 2004 being voted wine of the night. Incredible!

My thanks to the crew at Lulu’s for exemplary food and friendly service, and to those who joined me for this event.

Cheers
Allan

[Con J]

Thanks Allan, great read.

The 1927 vines Marsanne is a great wine age. Opened a 1999 with the Auswine Wine Group in early December, this was in great condition.

Cheers Con.