Château Tanunda, Birth place of the Barossa, was established in 1890 and is the site of some of the Valley’s first vines planted as well as its first winery.
The Château is privately owned by the Geber family who are proud custodians of the Chateau’s 130th year winemaking tradition.
Its 130 years of winemaking heritage makes it the only internationally-recognised winemaking Château in Australia, a champion of Barossa Old Vine Expressions and is regularly rated amongst the top wine producers in the country.
This is one of the most historically significant winery buildings in the Barossa Valley, built from bluestone quarried in the late 1880s and restored by the Geber family some 120 years later.
Château Tanunda owns almost 100ha of vineyards in Bethany, Eden Valley, Tanunda and Vine Vale, including an impressive collection of old vines aged 50–150 years old.
Additional fruit is sourced from a group of 30 growers covering the panoply of Barossa districts.
The premium wines are typically hand picked, basket pressed and neither fined nor filtered.
The focus here is on old-vine wines, as well as single-district and single-vineyard wines under the Terroirs of the Barossa and The Château labels respectively.
A second cellar door has opened in the Rocks, Sydney.
Medium to deep crimson/purple. Powerfully intense aniseed, blackberry, mulberry and blueberry fruit aromas, with ginger, mint notes.
Vigorous and fleshy with generous blueberry, blackberry flavours, excellent mid-palate richness and plentiful brambly-chocolatey tannins.
"Deep red in the glass with open-knit aromas of blackberry and satsuma plum, licorice, dark chocolate, some oxidative notes and no shortage of sappy oak.
Sappy oak dominates the palate, which is a shame as the underlying fruit looks lovely."
Dave Brookes
Published 03 August 2022
WINEMAKING
The grapes are destemmed, but not crushed, and spend seven days on their skins in open fermenters with hand-plunging twice daily to more gently extract colour, flavours and tannins.
This is followed by careful basket pressing and malolactic fermentation in a combination of new and seasoned French oak prior to 24 months maturation in our cellars.
VINEYARD
The grapes from this wine come from a selection of Barossa old vine vineyards planted in the 1960s and 50s.
These low-yielding “Barossa Old Vines” were planted before 1970 and are now fully mature on their own original rootstock. They have a root structure and trunk thickness that encourage diversity of flavour and character. Their worthiness has been proven over many vintages, consistently producing the highest quality fruit.
REVIEWS
96 POINTS
Review by: Sam Kim, Wine OrbitThis is immediately enticing on the nose with black/purple fruit richness with tapenade, dark chocolate, cake spice and cracked pepper notes, followed by a powerful full-bodied palate delivering layers of delicious flavours backed by refined tannins, finishing super long and satisfying. At its best: 2024 to 2038
GRAND GOLD MEDAL
Review by: Berlin Wine Trophy 2021
96 POINTS
Review by: Andrew Caillard MWDeep crimson. Beautiful roasted coffee, blackberry, dark cherry aromas with underlying mocha herb garden notes. Classically proportioned and refined Barossa Shiraz with pure black berry, dark cherry, praline/ dark cacao flavours, fine looseknit chalky/ al dente tannins, plentiful mocha/ vanilla oak notes and integrated acidity. Finishes chocolaty firm with persistent choco-berry liquorice notes. A benchmark Barossa Shiraz. Keep for a while. Drink now – 2032
95 POINTS
Review by: Ken GargettLoved it. A dark maroon opaque colour, followed by just gorgeous fragrances. The wine is concentrated and yet balanced and fully focussed. Generous flavours throughout – spices, leather, black fruits, cassis, chocolate and coffee bean. Ripe, seamless and with a supple texture right across the palate. Satiny tannins, excellent length, this is a superb example of what the Barossa can do.
94 POINTS
Review by: Angus Hughson, Wine PilotDeep ruby in colour, it’s understated now but also reserved and confident with concentrated aromas of leather, chocolate, ground spices and sweet oak. It’s quite tightly bound too and complete which bodes very well for the future. That fruit focus then continues on the palate and with a surprising elegance and again there is brooding power of dark, earthy fruits which then hold for a long, sustained finish thanks to ample tannins. You could miss this as a youngster but give it time as it is sure to shine long and bright.
92 POINTS
Review by: James SucklingA very classic Barossa shiraz with stacks of ripe plum and blackberry fruit with delicate spicy notes. Rich and fleshy, but with healthy tannins underlining this and giving it a clear line across the palate. Rather dense black-fruit and licorice character at the moderately long finish. Drink or hold.
