50 Year Old Vines Shiraz
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 15 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-roasted lamb shanks, grilled ribeye steak, mature hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Chateau Tanunda's 50 Year Old Vines Shiraz is a testament to the Barossa Valley's extraordinary viticultural heritage. In a wine world devastated by phylloxera in the late 19th century, South Australia remained largely untouched, preserving a living museum of ancient, self-rooted grapevines. This wine is crafted from vines that have spent at least half a century digging deep into the diverse soils of the Barossa, developing a self-regulating balance that yields small, intensely concentrated berries. The winemaking team honors this precious fruit through traditional techniques, utilizing open-top fermenters and basket pressing to gently extract rich color and supple tannins. The wine is typically matured in a combination of French and American oak hogsheads, resulting in a classic Barossa Shiraz that seamlessly marries bold dark fruit characters with subtle spice and structured elegance.
🍾 About the Producer
Constructed in 1890 from local Bethany bluestone, Château Tanunda stands as an iconic monument to early Australian viticulture. Originally erected to fulfill European wine demand following the phylloxera epidemic, the historic estate fell into disrepair until it was acquired and painstakingly revitalized by John Geber in 1998. Today managed by second-generation custodian Michelle Geber alongside senior winemaker Jeremy Ottawa, the property occupies a prized floor position in the Barossa Valley. The estate oversees deeply rooted vineyard parcels anchored in ancient red-brown clays and loams over limestone, moderated by warm Mediterranean sunshine and cool nocturnal katabatic breezes from the Barossa Ranges. Viticulture emphasizes conservation and environmental certification through Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. Winemaking combines basket-pressing and traditional open fermentation with seasoned French and American oak aging. The estate is widely acclaimed for its Old Vine Expressions—including 50, 100, and 150 Year Old Vines Shiraz and Field Blends—alongside the pinnacle Everest Shiraz and benchmark Grand Barossa portfolio.
🍇 Grapes
Shiraz
🍷 ABV
14.5%