Tahbilk Shiraz 2020 (Nagambie)

There are few Australians who will forget the 2019/2020 summer as bushfires burnt across the Eastern seaboard after a dry winter and spring. Thankfully there were no fires in central Victoria, and although it was smoky at times in Nagambie Lakes, Tahbilk fruit was not affected by smoke taint.

The dry winter and spring had our vineyard staff diligently monitoring soil moisture and irrigating when necessary. January and February saw temperatures fluctuating from blazing hot 40 degrees plus days to very mild 20-degree days.

Initially the very hot days seemed to slow the ripening but, similar to recent vintages, we commenced picking in early February.

The unforgiving season continued through harvest, with tropical storms resulting in weekly rainfall that, whilst irritating to the Vineyard and Winery crews, was not enough to significantly impact yields or initiate disease.
All varieties came in with excellent colour and flavour and 2020 is noted as a vintage of very good whites and terrific reds – not unusual for a dry season