I matured on Chateau Tahbilk – as the Central Victorian winery was then, in the late 1980s, known.

As an undergraduate luncheoning in quiet little BYOs in Carlton (with lecturers who should have known better), Tahbilk was the default wine. A marsanne to begin with, some shiraz or cabernet (or both) with Mario’s wife’s lasagna, after which we’d go to Jimmy Watson’s wine bar to forget our own names.

Universities were then beginning to enter that lethal phase of educational psycho babble and the moral narcissism of those self-seeking sophists of administrative gobbledygook. We railed against it and drank Tahbilk at luncheon. Tahbilk didn’t change. It didn’t go all trendy. It hasn’t still. And, gosh, it is now back well and truly in fashion, being named James Halliday’s Winery of the Year in 2016.

Its wines also blew the Argyle socks off the members of my Club’s Vinum Vitae table the other day. Tahbilk’s 4th generation winemaker, Alister Purbrick, was our engaging guest, and the wines motivated this offer all too demandingly.

In the Members’ Bar after lunch, Alister insisted on applying the Speccie 20 per cent discount, plus free freight. Vinum Vitae indeed.

Tahbilk Viognier 2016, $13.55, down from $16.95.

This strikingly clean and uplifting white wine defies my first rule of drinking: never drink anything starting with a ‘V’. Verdelho, a Virgin Mary, Vin Santo… Wine conservatives understand viognier as Condrieu, a little village in the north of the Rhône Valley. Here this wine can be perfumed like apricots, with a powerfully waxy texture. And it’s expensive. Australian wine growers took this grape up 20 years ago, thinking it might be the new chardonnay, because it can make a big bucketful of blousy, shouty, unmissable white wine. This example isn’t anything like that. It is the only viognier I’ve ever liked. I love it. The acidity carries the wine like a Dionysian ballerina across one’s tongue. Drink it now with smoked trout pâté.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2012, $17.55, down from $21.95.

A remarkable Australian white wine, with Tahbilk having nearly more of the Rhône’s autochthonous marsanne grape than the Rhône Valley itself. Lively and buoyant when young, this white matures not unlike good Hunter semillon does, with honeyed, toasty and floral notes emerging, as if the wine had been matured in oak – which it never is! Even with age, the acidity remains in the background. This is direct from the winery’s cellars, in perfect near 5 year old condition, and wants a chicken and asparagus terrine, with some spicy chutney.

Tahbilk Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2015, $22.35, down from $27.95.

The Rhône theme continues here, with a relative newcomer for Tahbilk. Given the winery was established in 1860, I suppose they can do something new every 150 years or so. And this wine makes sense. Grenache offers ripe berry fruits, shiraz brings earth and pepper, and the mourvèdre some leafiness. This is friendly, smooth, and yet refreshing red with just enough tannin to deal with barbecued foodstuffs, such as a spatchcocked quail. It easily rivals native Rhône blends at higher prices.

Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, $19.95, down from $24.95.

Tannin. It’s all about tannin. Dryness. Texture. I drink this wine a lot ( I cellar Tahbilk), and I often serve it with my fave Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux – being Château Cissac. One’s the Tahbilk of Bordeaux, the other’s the Haut-Médoc Cissac of Central Victoria. Capable of long cellaring, this Tahbilk has had just enough time under its belt to be doing that Bordeaux thing that Bordeaux does so well. Secondary flavours of leather, tobacco, truffle, and cedar. Cook some Roast Scotch Fillet with Madeira Sauce. At less than $20 for a nearly 7 year old wine, properly cellared, it is a steal.

Finally: thank you. A year ago our esteemed editor RD was foolish enough to give this Speccie Australian Wine Club a go. We’ve been delighted by your response. See you all next year, through a glass darkly.

PS: Ben Canaider received the Wine Communicators of Australia Best Wine Column Award in Sydney on 8 November.

Mr Canaider is lost for words.

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