Château Tanunda 150 Year Old Vines Barossa 2018
- 95
- $500
- Drink by: 2023-2045
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In Australian viticultural terms, 150-year-old vines are nobly designated, ‘ancestors.’ We don’t have a lot of vinous ‘ancestors’ to celebrate in this country, especially when it comes to Grenache, Mourvèdre and Malbec. So, this is indeed a celebration of what these three classic grapes can bring to a wine as they move into that much celebrated ‘senior’ state. For want of a better word, they bring a presence. Having lived a long and productive life they have little to prove, rather they bring a set of individual characters which blend seamlessly once combined. Grenache brings a gentle plumminess, black fruits, licorice/aniseed intensity and pepper. Mourvèdre, the spicy one, shows its fennel and sage side, earthy notes, oregano and bramble. Malbec has some charming florals, black cherry and cinnamon. Generous time in French oak (24 months) ties this rich parcel together nicely.
Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
