Super Six deal features premium reds worth $200 a bottle

The Annual Dozen offers of 2025 are ready to go – and among the wines selected for our highest-tier deal, the Super Premium Six, is the Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.

With a history stretching back to 1860, Tahbilk is Victoria’s oldest family-owned winery and regarded among wine aficionados as a national treasure.

Other wines featuring in the 2025 Super Premium Six are a mighty $200-a bottle red from McLaren Vale pioneer d’Arenberg, a $180 shiraz from a historic Barossa vineyard, a pair of $120 shirazes from Dandelion and Heirloom crafted by Elena Brooks, and a ripper blend from award-winning Bleasdale at Langhorne Creek.

Each wine has scored between 95 and 97 points from reputable judges, as well as collecting a swag of gold medals. At only $37.99 a bottle for the Premium Six, it’s a chance to try wines that may be normally beyond your budget.

The good folk at Tahbilk are also in a celebratory mood, with this year marking the 100th anniversary since the Purbrick family acquired their unique 1200ha property at Nagambie Lakes in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.

For five generations, the family have tended the vines and made wine in accordance with traditional European techniques, creating some of Australia’s most consistent premium wines year after year.

“We are fortunate that all of our wine is made from fruit grown on our estate so we do have control over what we grow and where we grow it,’’ says Alister Purbrick, who led Tahbilk as chief executive and winemaker for more than 40 years before his semi-retirement in 2022.

“To have an estate-grown brand of our size is quite unusual. With 500 acres (about 200ha) of vines, that’s a very different beast than estate-grown brands of 50 or 60 acres.”

Alister’s great grandfather, Reginald Purbrick, acquired Chateau Tahbilk in 1925 for £44,879 (about $4.5m in today’s terms).

“I don’t propose in the long run to hold this property but I am in no hurry to sell it … one of the boys might like to take it up,” Reginald wrote at the time.

That person turned out to be Alister’s grandfather, Eric Purbrick, who arrived at the winery in 1931 during the depths of the Great Depression, putting his law degree on hold to master the craft of winemaking.

He built Tahbilk into an international success story over the ensuing decades, mentoring Alister and handing over to him as a 26-year-old in 1978. Eric’s efforts are honoured with his name and signature cast on Tahbilk’s premium “Reserve” range from the 2002 vintage on.

The 2017 Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon, which includes fruit from the estate’s oldest cabernet vineyard planted in 1949, is a textbook example of the Tahbilk style: soft and refined but rich in flavour. “2017 was a kind year,’’ Alister says. “Terrific weather during harvest so there was no pressure to pick – we were able to keep the fruit hanging to allow the grapes to fully ripen.”

The Tahbilk property’s unique system of lakes, billabongs and creeks plays a critical role in producing good cabernet, helping to cool the grapes during the warm summer days in the Goulburn Valley.

Alister had the pleasure recently of tasting through 19 of Tahbilk’s best vintages, including a 1962 cabernet that Eric regarded as his finest, and others from the 1960s and 1970s, along with the 2017. His tasting notes on the 2017 described the wine as exhibiting a “very pretty perfume” and “lovely balance”. “It is ranked as among our most elegant and will still be drinking well after we’re long gone,” he says.

Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Lifted aromas of cassis, dried sage, sandalwood and hints of eucalypt and tea-leaf notes open the door to a palate of warm dark fruits (mulberry and blackcurrant) with aniseed, black olives and sweet spice. Serious depth of flavour but light on its feet. Reminiscent of fine Bordeaux. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14% alc; RRP $73.

d’Arenberg The Old Bloke & Three Young Blondes Shiraz Roussanne Viognier Marsanne 2018

A blockbuster, from centurion shiraz vines, with tiny quantities of roussanne, viognier and marsanne making up this Rhone-style blend. Dark plums and spice with floral scents, along with vanilla, dark chocolate and smoky cedar. Powerful in the mouth. Decant for at least an hour. 97 points, James Suckling. 15% alc; RRP $200.

Schild Estate Three Springs Single Vineyard Shiraz 2021

Decadent aromas of dark plums, cherry and blackberry, accompanied by subtle notes of dark chocolate and black pepper. Lush mouthfeel, with powdery tannins rolling to a long, elegant finish. Powerful but beautifully balanced. 96 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14% alc; RRP $180.

Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz 2022

Confident winemaking from Elena Brooks. A swirl of aromas: from black cherries, blackcurrants and plums to licorice, chocolate, leather and coffee. Velvety texture, with layer after layer of flavour, backed by a frame of fine tannins, stretching on and on. 97 points, The Real Review. 14.5% alc; RRP $120.

Dandelion Vineyards Moonrise Kingdom of McLaren Vale Shiraz 2022

Gorgeous McLaren fruit, covering the spectrum of wild raspberry, Davidson plum and blackberry, with hints of licorice and ginger. Intense, silky palate with supple tannins. A multi-layered joy. 96 points, Winepilot. 14.5% alc; RRP $120.

Bleasdale Frank Potts Langhorne Creek Cabernet Blend 2022

A classic Bleasdale blend of cabernet sauvignon (72%), malbec (18%), petit verdot (6%) and merlot (4%). Blueberry and blackcurrant flavours, with hints of cloves, pepper and mineral characters. 96 points and red star for exceptional value, Halliday Wine Companion. 13.5% alc; RRP $39.

SUPER PREMIUM SIX One bottle of each wine above for $37.99 a bottle. SAVE $504.

ALSO available in a dozen for $36.99 a bottle. SAVE $1020.

NEXT UP … The 2025 Premium Annual Dozen reviewed. Stay tuned.

Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote ‘ACCJ’. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club on this offer.