Torbreck Vintners

History

Founded by David Powell in 1994, with the roots going back to 1992 when David was working for Rockford and began to discover and clean up a few sections of dry-grown old vines. He nurtured the near lifeless vines back to health and got a small parcel of fruit that he made into wine, and then he secured a contract for the supply of grapes from a run-down but ancient Shiraz vineyard.

He raised enough money to share-farm the vineyard, and paid the other owner a percentage of the market rate for his grapes in return for totally managing the vineyard. This arrangement has enabled Torbreck to use fruit from the very best vineyards in Barossa Valley and in 1995 he crushed 3 tonnes of grapes and fermented into wine, naming his wine Torbreck after a forest in Scotland where he worked as a lumberjack.

Focusing on the classic varieties in the region, including Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro, he made his wine after his love for the Rhone style. Now Torbreck also made white wines from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. In 2002 the historic Hillside property was acquired, providing further sources of premium quality fruit.

At the finish of the 2003 vintage, Torbreck opened its cellar-door for sales, restoring the original settlers hut to welcome visitors. A new winery and administration facility was added in 2008 to allow the wines to be bottled on the estate using an in-house bottling line, allowing the complete control of all aspects of production. In 2008 Torbreck Vintners was acquired by Pete Kight.

The Wines

The Laird refers to ‘Lord of the Manor’ in Scottish, and the wine comes from the single vineyard of Malcolm and Joylene Seppelt’s old Gnadenfrei vineyard in Marananga of Barossa Valley. In 2003 Malcolm asked if Torbreck would make the wine under contract for him and after two years Torbreck got the opportunity to purchase the fruit, regarded as their best parcel of Shiraz.

At the same time, Torbreck was approached by Dominique Laurent to purchase their barrels, renown for the much thicker staves used to make the barrels for long-term maturation. With all these elements, The Laird is regarded the best Shiraz made by Torbreck.

The RunRig has often drawn comparison with the best Cote Rotie, with the aromatic wine also showing much power and richness often mistaken to come from Rhone. The Pict is typically associated with the Bandol region, and this single vineyard Mataro has rich and dense flavors that could evolve in many years to come.

The Factor is using grapes from the great old Shiraz of the Barossa Valley and is a showcase on the quality of Barossa. Descendant comes from the single vineyard next to Torbreck’s winery on Roennfeldt Road, planted in 1994 with cuttings off old RunRig vineyards, it is also Barossa’s first co-fermented Shiraz/Viognier, with the Shiraz crushed on top of Viognier, and the wine matured for 18 months in barrels, and requiring at least 5 years cellaring before consumption.

The Struie comes from the cooler climate, higher altitude of Eden Valley, blended with fruit from the powerful Barossa Shiraz and aged for 18 months in old and new French oak prior to bottling. Woodcutter’s Shiraz is made using open fermenter and gently basket pressed, aged for one year in large old barrels.

The Steading is perhaps the most important wine within the portfolio, sourced from Torbreck’s own vineyards as well as growers, totaling 45 different sources of fruit, all vinified separately and then blended once the individual wines were assessed.

I have recently tasted the 2006 Descendant and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity of black fruit of blackberry and plum, red fruit of dried strawberry, dried fruit of prune, pungent spice of licorice, oak notes of vanilla, animal notes of meaty, maturity notes of mushroom. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, medium (+) alcohol and full body, demonstrating medium (+) intensity of flavors including black fruit of blackberry and plum, dried fruit of prune, oak notes of smoke, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of thyme. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Australian Shiraz blend showing a very intense nose of high complexity, the wine is phenomenal on the structure but having also a finesse despite its high alcohol, with a palate that is very concentrated and showing equally impressive complexity, as well as a long finish. It is ready to drink now though can maintain for another 7-9 years.