While a relatively young estate when compared to other Barossa names, Torbreck Estate have not only proven their worth in the past three decades since their doors opened in 1994, but have claimed a seat at the table of the region's elite. Particularly over these last few recent years, we've seen many incremental changes in these wines that have resulted in further increases in quality across the board, that we're now very keen to show off.
Crafting wines that pack in unique energy and bold fruit structure while still feeling smooth as silk on the palate, Torbreck's wines are often called Rhône-inspired, with the classic trio of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvédre growing on the majority of their old vines. The European inspiration comes across in this brilliant new range from vintages 2020/2021, with some seriously great value on display, as well as the prestigious show-stoppers like the Factor, the Descendant, and the RunRig!
Join one of our favourite reps (Greg McGill) this Saturday (10th June) as he pours these beauties from 12 to 2pm! This release is showing tremendous promise, both for current drinking or cellaring for many years, so this is not one to be missed.
2021 Hillside Shiraz Roussanne - $28 on special ; $32 RRP
"Lifted aromas offer a core of black fruits and summer berries such as satsuma plum, blackberry, mulberry and boysenberry interwoven with secondary notes of ironstone, graphite, bergamot and milk chocolate. The palate’s round and plush mouthfeel surrounds the core of dark fruits and complements soft and silky tannins that are harmonious and textural. A wine that will benefit from medium term cellaring now to 2035." - Winemaker Notes
"This is interesting—the Roussanne acts somewhat as Viognier does in the blend—it lifts the florals out of the glass and impacts the texture in the mouth. However, where it differs is the impact on the tannins. The Roussanne seems to open up the tannins and loosen the knit, while Viognier can amplify but slick the tannins, tightening everything up, contributing to that visceral feels that they can have. This has an abundance of red berries, pineapple, apricot kernel, raspberries and licorice, all framed by subtle oak. Really smart!" - 93 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2021 The Steading GSM - $39 on special ; $45 RRP
Magnums (2017) available at $87!
"Lifted aromas of red currant, pomegranate, red cherry and red plum. The secondary aromas of spice and earthy, such as clove, star anise, bay leaf and wild thyme add complexity. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a dense core of plush red-berried fruits whilst leaning towards the savoury side. Firm tannins envelope the mouth and provide depth and a plushness with an elongated finish." - Winemaker Notes
"The 2021 Steading is incredibly sweet on the nose: summer raspberries, blood plums, black cherry, licorice, star anise, some cardamom and chewing tobacco. This offers insane value for money, but then, I feel like it has been that price for at least a decade, so it has been an insane value for a long time. This is reliable, delicious, complex, plush/generous and, through the lens of this lovely cool vintage, a superstar. The best yet." - 95 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2021 The Struie Shiraz - $48 on special ; $55 RRP
Magnums (2020) available at $110!
"Lifted aromatics of black and blue fruits such as blackberry, blueberry compote and milk chocolate, with graphite and mineral like complexity from granite and schist soils in the Eden Valley. The full bodied and silken textured mouthfeel exhibits plushness of fruit along with mouth coating ripe Shiraz tannins that are full yet soft. The oak is barely noticeable and will give way after a year or two in bottle to its density and freshness of fruit." - Winemaker Notes
"From both 57% Barossa and 43% Eden Valley fruit, matured for 18 months in French oak (20% new). This vintage is blue-fruited on the nose, with blueberry, licorice, black tea, crushed rocks, summer raspberry, layers of campfire embers and clove. It might be that in many of the tasting notes from 2021, that the wines outperform previous vintages. This is because the cool season was long, so great ripeness was achieved, without the stress or impact of heat events and disease. It's a lovely, lovely year that has made wines with freshness and intensity. The tannins through the finish here are savory and fine and black. Drink now to 2043." - 96 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2021 The Gask Eden Valley Shiraz - $75 on special ; $85 RRP
"Violet and aubergines with a garnet rim. Very fragrant lifted aromatic of blue and red fruits such as mulberry, cassis, blueberry and cranberry. The secondary aromas intertwine the fruit freshness with earthy like complexity such as granite, eucalypt, camphor and sandalwood. The palates fine-grained tannins and primary fruit are well balanced with an elongated tension and taut posture that gives a confidence to cellar for added complexity and harmony. Drink or hold for 15 years." - Winemaker Notes
"100% Shiraz from the Eden Valley. The wine itself is brooding and black, with blue fruits and a muscularity in the mouth. It has length of flavor and line, and the tannins that infuse the fruit are intense and savory. There are notes of black tea, resin, chewing tobacco, black pepper, blackberry and cassis. This is a ripping wine. It is elegant and full-bodied at once—svelte, huge, awesome." - 96+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2020 The Factor Shiraz - $130 on special ; $149 RRP
"The Factor is predominantly from the Gomersal and Marananga sub-regions of the Barossa. Very expressive with lifted black fruits such as satsuma plum, blackberry, compote, vanilla bean dark cocoa and maraschino liqueur. Complex, luxuriously dense and alluring. The wine’s voluptuous texture envelops the mouth with soft yet dense tannins and mouth filling viscosity. The flavours linger and the cleansing acidity polishes the palates gorgeous length and depth. Oak maturation is harmonious and well integrated adding to complexity on release." - Winemaker Notes
"Made up of fruit from Gomersal, Krondorf, Marananga and Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley. The wine was matured for 24 months in a combination of new (40%) and seasoned French oak barriques. In the glass, the wine verges on black, and the nose echoes this abyss-like shade. Blackberry, blood plum, black cherry, licorice, campfire embers, cocoa dust, clove, iodine, vanilla pod and red dirt—this is the core of the wine, the beating heart. The tannins, like a skeleton that protects it, are velvety, plush and structural. Like a skeleton, the tannins are entrenched in the fruit, concealed by a skin of flavor. This is a sybaritic, superstar wine that reflects the warm, concentrated, dry, low-yielding vintage from whence it came. This is classic, polished, midnight Torbreck here." - 96 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
2020 The Descendant Shiraz Viognier - $130 on special ; $149 RRP
"Wonderfully lifted aromatics, perfumed fresh black and red fruits complemented by spice and florals wafting from the glass. Blackcurrants, mulberry, cassis, and satsuma plum intertwine with pot-pourri, dried apricots, cloves and star anise. The palate shows the integration of dark Barossa fruits and second use RunRig French oak barriques balanced by trademark viscosity. A firm mouthfeel of fine grained tannins balanced by dense yet creamy like texture extolling the vineyard pedigree." - Winemaker Notes
"This year, the Descendant comprises 91% Shiraz and 9% Viognier. In every way (price, vineyard source, cepage, maturation), this wine is a baby RunRig, although there remain some stylistic differences in the mouth. For one thing, this 2020 Descendant has been matured (as mentioned) in older oak, so the imprint of oak flavors is more subtle. While there is no denying that the texture has an extreme slick and polish (it is almost thick in the mouth, truly plush) from the high percentage of Viognier, the wine is pure and glossy and exuberantly fruit driven. The tannins, which exist very much within the wine, are savory and exotically spiced: star anise, clove, hints of cardamom, licorice, red dirt and iodine. This is very good, luxurious, enveloping, sybaritic, with lots going on." - 96+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
Premium Releases -
Samples available at tasting //
Bottles for purchase arriving 1st of July!
2020 Les Amis - $196 on special ; $225 RRP
"The fruit for the Les Amis Grenache is from the Slade vineyard, planted in the 1960s. The wine was matured for 24 months in French barriques (40% new). The 2020 Les Amis Grenache is savory, resinous, structural and firm. The core of red fruit remains protected, but it is clear that there is a long future for this wine that is obvious from now, and it will only evolve over time. Clove bud through the finish leaves a cooling, mineral feel in the mouth. This is very big, but very good. It is polished, and the tannins have a gritty chew to them, which is very attractive." - 95 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
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2020 RunRig - $295 on special ; $329 RRP
"Tasting the RunRig beside the Descendant is always a wise move, in order to gain some contextual understanding of how they are similar and, perhaps more importantly, how they differ. This 2020 RunRig was sourced from six different vineyards across Barossa (in Lyndoch, Rowland Flat, Moppa, Ebenezer, Light Pass and Greenock) and includes a 2% "dosage" (as winemaker Ian Hongell described it) of Viognier. Matured for 30 months in a combination of new French oak (50%) and second and third fill barrels, the wine rests on its lees for that time. The lower percentage of Viognier here is a seductive and effective thing, adding just enough slick and polish to make this the sybaritic wine that it is, but little enough to allow the grunt, grit and muscle of the Shiraz from all those glorious locations to shine through. Despite the very long time in oak, the wine is balanced and excellent, big in almost every possible way but with an undeniable sense of class and length of flavor. Executed with detail and precision, this wine is clearly defined in its expression of house style." - 97+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
Click here to place your order via email for the Les Amis and/or the Runrig
If you wish to purchase these wines, please use the links above. Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until Thursday the 15th of June