Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier

Following the - somewhat surprising - announcement of Tahbilk being James Halliday's winery of the year, I am interested to taste some of their new wines. Tahbilk has revamped its portfolio and added blends to its traditional stable of varietal wines.

The 2014 Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier is a wine which has a certain appeal. It is not close to a Rhone white, which tends to be very texture dominated, often quite heavy. This Tahbilk wine is fresh and feels lighter, despite the 13% alcohol. Only the Roussanne component was aged in oak, the other components saw stainless steel. Despite being a blend, this is not a complex wine. Apple and pear fruit comes to the fore, and this wine is good with food. There is not much acidity. This wine should be drunk young. There is a residual sweetness on the finish, which I found unpleasant, but some may find attractive. To me, this wine has some similarity to Australian Pinot Gris, with a bit more weight.

Score: 88/0

Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier

The historic Tahbilk winery is modernizing its range of wines. One new addition is the 2013 Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier. Tahbilk is well placed to produce such a wine, as its Marsanne vines go back almost 90 years. The other varieties are from much younger vines, though.

It is good to see new wines coming onto the market which emphasize texture as opposed to overt fruit. But I am afraid they will suffer the same fate as Riesling: loved by the critics, but ignored by the wine drinking public.

This wine shows blossom, pear and green apple characteristics, but the impact of the 26% Viognier component is less than expected. There is some (slightly broad) minerality in the wine. The flavour components are well (if not too well) balanced by acidity. The wine's mouthfeel is not as elegant as a leading contender of such a blend. This wine would benefit from another year in the bottle and will then be a good food wine.It should not be aged for long.

Score: 89/+