The Auswine Forum

TN: 2008 Tahbilk Shiraz Nagambie Lakes Central Victoria.

$24 Cdn, SC, 14.5% alc. Opened one hour, not decanted and consumed over 3 day period. 18 months oak but does not really show on palate.

Very deep violet in the glass, aromas of plum and blackberry. Took about 3 hrs to start opening up with additional notes of cassis and some tobacco.
Entry is dry, smooth tannins, earthy with no ripe jammy fruit apparent.
Quite complex and think not at its peak yet. Good acidity, full-bodied and great length. Was really singing by day 3 with some plum, cherry sweetness on the finish. Much smoother as I drained my last glass.

Some of my favourite Aussie wines these Bob, an incredible bargain here in Oz for such ageworthy wines. I prefer them a little older, say 10-15 years but had an 06 recently that slipped down beautifully!

Cheers

Dave

I'm not sure that the Shiraz was ever in the market over here, only the Cabernet and Marsanne. Back in the days it was the Cabernet that ruled the roost and Shiraz as a craze was still on the horizon. All my older Aussie wines are Cabernets and their blends, including the Tahbilks. A few weeks ago I opened an '87 Tahbilk Cab, the only Tahbilk red I ever saw after the old government liquor stores discontinued the '82 Tahbilk Cabs. Of course back then it was Chateau Tahbilk.

The '87 had lost all it's tannins and was strangely sweetish for a Cabernet. The wine was nice, soft, rather plush, but strangely lacking cabernet complexity. It went down very well nonetheless. Of course, '87 was not a banner year for Tahbilk and according to their website it is on the decline. They say the '08 Shiraz needs another 10+ years.

Mahmoud.