Tahbilk holds what are believed to be the oldest and largest single plantings of Marsanne in Australia and among the oldest in the world, with the estate’s 1927 block representing 98 years of uninterrupted vine cultivation at the time of this vintage. The estate farms over 100 acres of Marsanne in total, a commitment to this northern Rhône white grape that reflects the singular suitability of Tahbilk’s Nagambie Lakes terroir for the variety’s dry, austere, mineral style in youth and its spectacular ability to transform into something profound with bottle age. No oak is used in the winemaking of the 1927 Vines bottling, allowing the variety and site to speak without competition.

The 1927 Vines Marsanne is produced separately from the broader estate Marsanne from older, lower-yielding vines, harvested by hand at an earlier moment in the ripening curve compared to the regular bottling to preserve the natural acidity and freshness that the wine needs for long ageing. The 2006 growing season is remembered at Tahbilk as one of the finest vintages of recent decades, producing wines of notable concentration and longevity. Two decades of bottle age have transformed the 2006 1927 Vines from a tightly wound, austere white into something approaching its full complexity, with developed tertiary notes layering over a framework of outstanding natural acidity.

Tahbilk’s 1927 Vines Marsanne has been compared by critics to aged Hunter Valley Semillon for its capacity to transform over time, developing a rich honeyed, waxy character overlaid with lanolin, nutty toasted notes and considerable complexity. The 2006 vintage is specifically cited by observers as one of Tahbilk’s finest recent Marsanne expressions, with the combination of vintage quality and the extreme vine age of the 1927 block producing a wine of genuinely exceptional historical and vinous interest. The wine has been collected and cellared by Australian wine enthusiasts since its release and remains one of the most remarkable white wines produced by any Victorian estate.