Last year, Brown and I consumed a 1991 Tahbilk Shiraz. It was one of my most memorable wines of the year. Part of the wine’s appeal on that evening was the fact that it was still drinking well. At 19 years of age, and under cork, I had doubts as to what would be revealed once the cork was popped. Would it be past it, would it be corked? Happily it revealed itself as a beautiful, aged Shiraz. From that point onwards I resolved to buy at least a few bottles of this wine each vintage. At $15 a bottle it’s one of Australia’s best value, cellar worthy reds. Onto the 2006 . . .
This was a wine that just got better and better the more it breathed. Initially all I could really say for the nose was that it had a deep aroma of dark fruits and some nice oak. It evolved beautifully and I gradually picked up berry and plum fruits, some earthy/leathery characteristics, and just a hint of eucalypt. The palate was nicely balanced between sumptuous fruit at the front, and lovely savoury flavours on the finish. It had nice length, drying tannins, and a persistence of flavour.
A beautiful wine that is just going to get better with age. I’d be leaving this for 10 years, and I reckon it would be worth leaving at least one bottle in the cellar for a 20 year stint. Based on the quality of this wine, along with its pedigree, I reckon it will go the distance, and happily, being under screwcap now, you won’t have to fret about the vagaries of cork!
Red
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