Enjoy Now to 2025/2030
It is difficult to talk about the 'Eric Stevens Purbrick' reds without talking about the man and the history behind them.
Founded in 1860 by a group of Melbourne businessmen (including John Pinney Bear), by 1925 Tahbilk was solely in the Bear family's hands. For a number of reasons beyond their control, the fortunes of the Estate at that time were in decline.
Enter my family: great-grandfather Reginald Purbrick purchased Tahbilk from the Bear family with a plan to subdivide into dairy farms. Fortuitously he was convinced by grandfather Eric to continue operating Tahbilk as a winery. Eric was then handed the reins in 1931, a role that continued for over 45 vintages prior to handing the role to myself after the 1978 vintage.
Eric remained a strong influence on the direction of Tahbilk until his passing in 1991.
One of the first to place his faith in the future of Australian table wines, Eric was at the forefront of varietal labelling in Australia ; but perhaps his greatest legacy was to create the 'Special Bin' range of reds, beginning with a Shiraz in 1948. Selected from the most outstanding casks produced on the Estate from a particular vintage, these wines became known as 'Reserve' in 1985.
From 2002 they fittingly carry his name and signature: 'Eric Stevens Purbrick'.
And so, a new legacy with its roots firmly planted in the history of the Estate was born.
Cheers,
Alister Purbrick | 4th Generation
“You can taste a character of place and feel the voices of the past. These impressive and beautifully crafted wines are wonderful expressions of Australian terroir.”
Andrew Calliard MW ~ Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine
"Shares many things in common with the 1860 Vines, but in a more generous framework, making instant gratification easier to come by. The earthy/spicy notes are common to the bouquet and the tannins, and there are fleshy elements filling in the mid-palate, albeit without undue fuss. A gentleman's shiraz."
James Halliday | www.winecompanion.com.au (Tasted August 2017)
“You get a sense that these structure-first Tahbilk reds might indeed live forever. If the ’65 I tasted a few years back is any indication, then that’s probably true. There’s a dense, dusty, old-school charm of baked earth and drying tannins here to reinforce the timelessness too.
Interestingly, this smells and tastes warmer than 13.5%, but that’s as much a product of ripe fruit than anything else.
The palate is pretty classic central Vic Shiraz – maybe a bit sweet and sour, but the earthy stream of chocolate dipped fruit is impressive in its concentration and with no shortage of hulking, rough tannins to finish. There’s a roughness here that stops it from being seductive, but heartiness is part of the glory here.”
ozwinereview.com
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