Tahbilk

Tahbilk was founded in 1860 by Andrew Sinclair and a syndicate of Melbourne investors, who purchased land on a horseshoe bend of the Goulburn River in Central Victoria and named the property Chateaux Tahbilk, drawing on the French inflection that was common among ambitious Australian wine ventures of the era. The original 1860 plantings established what would become one of Australia's founding commercial wineries, with vineyards spanning Shiraz, Marsanne, and other varieties suited to the warm inland Victorian climate. The estate operated through various ownership configurations over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including a period under the management of Francois de Castella's prominent Victorian wine family connections, before passing to Reginald Purbrick in 1925. The continuity of the original 1860 vineyard plantings through the phylloxera era, the early 20th century fortified wine focus, and into the modern fine wine era makes Tahbilk one of the rare global wine estates with documented unbroken 19th-century vine heritage.

• 1860: founded as Chateaux Tahbilk by Andrew Sinclair and Melbourne investors on a horseshoe bend of the Goulburn River in Central Victoria
• Original 1860 plantings included Shiraz, Marsanne, and other varieties; foundational planting for the Goulburn Valley wine industry
• Estate operated through various 19th-century ownership configurations; passed to Reginald Purbrick in 1925
• Continuity of original 1860 vineyard plantings through phylloxera, fortified era, and modern fine wine era places Tahbilk in a rare global cohort

The Purbrick family acquired Tahbilk in 1925 when Reginald Purbrick purchased the estate, and the family has owned and operated the winery continuously across four generations through to the present. Reginald's son Eric Stevens Purbrick took over winemaking in 1931 and ran the cellar until 1979, establishing the modern Tahbilk style and earning a reputation as one of Australia's most respected winemakers of the mid-20th century. Eric Stevens Purbrick's nearly 50-year winemaking tenure shaped the estate's identity around heritage old-vine Shiraz, the Marsanne tradition, and structured Cabernet Sauvignon, with his name lending to the flagship Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon. Alister Purbrick (fourth generation) is the current chief winemaker, having taken over from his father in 1979 and continuing the family stewardship for more than 45 years. Hayley Purbrick (fifth generation) is the current CEO, with the family ownership having spanned a full century in 2025 and continuing without dilution to outside investors.

• Purbrick family acquired Tahbilk in 1925; four generations of family stewardship through to the present
• Eric Stevens Purbrick: winemaker 1931 to 1979; nearly 50-year tenure shaped the modern Tahbilk style
• Alister Purbrick (fourth generation) current chief winemaker since 1979; more than 45 years of stewardship
• Hayley Purbrick (fifth generation) current CEO; family ownership spans a full century without dilution to outside investors

Tahbilk's most historically significant vineyard parcels are the original 1860 plantings and the 1927 Marsanne block, both of which remain in commercial production today. The Marsanne planting, with vines dating to 1927 within the original 1860 estate block, is widely recognised as the world's oldest commercial Marsanne planting. The vines produce the Tahbilk Marsanne flagship along with the premium 1927 Vines Marsanne, both of which display the variety's distinctive evolution from fresh lemon and honeysuckle in youth to waxy, toasty, honeyed complexity with 10 to 20 years of bottle age. Among Australian white wines, aged Tahbilk Marsanne offers a unique cellaring profile rarely replicated elsewhere. The 1860 Vines Shiraz is made from surviving pre-phylloxera Shiraz vines planted in the original 1860 block, providing one of the rare commercial expressions of vines over 165 years old globally. The wine offers extraordinary concentration from sesquicentenary vines, and ranks alongside Henschke Hill of Grace and Penfolds Grange as one of Australia's most historically significant single-site Shirazes.

• Tahbilk Marsanne flagship and 1927 Vines Marsanne sourced from the world's oldest commercial Marsanne planting (1927 vines within the original 1860 block)
• Marsanne shows fresh lemon and honeysuckle in youth, developing waxy, toasty, honeyed complexity over 10 to 20 years of bottle age
• 1860 Vines Shiraz: surviving pre-phylloxera Shiraz from the original 1860 plantings; rare commercial expression of vines over 165 years old
• 1860 Vines Shiraz ranks alongside Henschke Hill of Grace and Penfolds Grange as one of Australia's most historically significant single-site Shirazes

The Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon, named after Tahbilk's long-serving winemaker, is the estate's flagship Cabernet expression and one of Central Victoria's most respected Cabernet bottlings. The wine combines the structured tannins and blackcurrant fruit of warm-climate Cabernet with the savoury depth that Tahbilk's deep alluvial soils contribute. The Reserve Shiraz, sourced from older estate Shiraz blocks beyond the pre-phylloxera 1860 plantings, provides a tier of premium Shiraz at a more accessible price point than the 1860 Vines, while still demonstrating the heritage Tahbilk style. Beyond these flagships, Tahbilk produces a broader range under the Estate label and the Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Verdelho, Viognier, and other varieties from the diverse estate plantings. The full Tahbilk portfolio reflects the estate's dual identity: historical anchor for the world's oldest commercial Marsanne planting and pre-phylloxera Shiraz, alongside a working commercial winery producing wines across multiple price tiers.

• Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon: flagship Cabernet named after Tahbilk's long-serving winemaker; structured Central Victoria Cabernet expression
• Reserve Shiraz: premium tier sourced from older estate Shiraz blocks beyond the pre-phylloxera 1860 plantings
• Estate label and Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon provide accessible price-point expressions of the heritage estate style
• Verdelho, Viognier, and other varieties round out the broader estate portfolio across multiple tiers

Tahbilk's heritage status is one of the estate's defining features, with the original Châteaux Tahbilk underground cellars, the original 1860s winery buildings, and the surviving historic vineyards preserved as both working production facilities and major Victorian wine tourism destinations. The estate operates the Tahbilk Wetlands and Wildlife Reserve adjacent to the vineyards, an ecological restoration project that protects native flora and fauna along the Goulburn River. Tahbilk achieved carbon-neutral certification in 2012, becoming one of Australia's earliest substantial wine estates to make the formal carbon-neutral commitment, with ongoing investment in renewable energy, sustainable viticulture, and carbon sequestration through the wetlands programme. The combination of preserved heritage architecture, the world's oldest commercial Marsanne planting, surviving pre-phylloxera Shiraz vines, and modern environmental commitments makes Tahbilk unusually multidimensional among Australian wine estates: both a heritage monument and a forward-looking environmental leader.

• Original Châteaux Tahbilk underground cellars, 1860s winery buildings, and historic vineyards preserved as working production facilities
• Tahbilk Wetlands and Wildlife Reserve: ecological restoration project along the Goulburn River adjacent to the vineyards
• Carbon-neutral certification achieved 2012; one of Australia's earliest substantial wine estates to make the formal commitment
• Combination of preserved heritage architecture, oldest commercial Marsanne planting, and modern environmental leadership is unique in Australian wine