TVS: Torbreck Cellar Door – Monday 19th January 2004
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 10:56 am
2002 Torbreck Woodcutters White: Semillon: 13.5%
I did not expect much of this wine as I had read negative reviews but to its credit it combined fresh lemon Semillon characters with very subtle oak flavours and a smooth palate and a long finish with fine acidity. Complex enough and very well made. Rated as Recommended/Highly Recommended and very good value at $15.50.
2002 Torbreck Juveniles: Grenache / Shiraz / Mataro: 14.4%
Long, silky palate of ripe dark, somewhat jammy, fruits unhindered by oak or tannin with a confected aspect. Fine acid backbone. Jammy characters of the Grenache are well controlled. Very good for what it attempts to be but too simple for $27.50. Rated as Recommended.
2001 Torbreck The Steading: Grenache / Shiraz / Mataro: 14.7%
Quite similar to the 2002 Juveniles in flavour, still with a confected aspect, but with a sweet oak spices. Long finish but again too simple for $32.50. Rated as Recommended.
2002 Torbeck The Struie: Shiraz (67% Barossa / 33% Eden Valley): 14.5%
Very well controlled ripe Shiraz fruit of significant power and depth in typical Barossa mould on the front palate. The fruit is more powerful and more layered than that of The Steading and Juveniles yet is much better controlled. Great oak handling provides sweet spice and charry complexity. Cooler spices and pepper become apparent from the Eden Valley fruit further on the palate and combines with tannins that are ripe, fine and creamy to provide length to the already deep wine. Rated as Excellent. This wine stands out in the Torbreck range considering its price of $46. I bought a bottle.
2002 Torbreck Descendant: 92% Shiraz / 8% Viognier: 14.5%
This is a beautiful Shiraz Viognier and the winemaker is obviously a specialist in this style creating a wine of deep set black fruits with violets and apricots on a long silky mouthfeel. However, it stands in the shadow of RunRig in terms of price as well as complexity, interest and depth, and it is very hard to justify the $125 price tag when tasted next to the RunRig. Rated as Highly Recommended. Maybe my impressions of the RunRig affected this rating.
2001 Torbreck The Factor: Shiraz: 14.2%
This is obviously TorbreckÂ’s typically Barossa Shiraz. Excellent ripe Shiraz fruit, charry French oak characters, great length, ripe tannins, etc, etc, etc. Although I rated this wine as Excellent, at $125 this wine represents terrible value. I can buy a wine of similar quality in as close a style as the art of wine allows from 10 other nearby producers for less than half the price! Â… and I prefer the cooler complexities of The Struie better.
2001 Torbreck RunRig – Shiraz Viognier (97% Shiraz/3% Viognier)
This wine is $187.50 per bottle and it needed to greatly impress me not to disappoint, and it did not. This wine is amazing. It absolutely blew me away. The nose is powerful but the palate is awesome. The wine is amazingly ripe yet does not cloy. I struggled to remember a wine of such depth and of such width on the palate. I did not know my palate could be so filled with flavour. Black fruits, dark cherries, sweet spices, even a hint of pepper that goes as long as any wine previously thanks to ripe, silky, creamy tannins. The wine is so ripe that I find it hard to distinguish any apricot sweetness from the Viognier but it probably has attributed to the smooth mouthfeel. I must state again, this wine does not cloy. So many wines of this price do not provide the taster with something special, unique or unusual. This wine does. The difference between good and great is not much yet is very rare, so determining whether this wine represents good value is quite pointless. Rated as Outstanding/Ultimate, I bought a bottle.
I then discussed whether this wine would age well. The person at the cellar door said yes but I donÂ’t know whether I will be able to enjoy it any more that it is now. I donÂ’t know whether I will ever find out.
2002 Torbreck The Bothie: 14.5% (lightly fortified with brandy)
I nearly did not try this wine after the ecstasy of the previous wine but I am most happy that I did. This wine has many different layers, all of whicj lightly dance on the tongue, starting with lemon and floral aromatics to deeper lime, honey, nuts and marmalade balanced perfectly with the wineÂ’s fine acid. The fortification is very mild and balanced, as is the residual sugar, both adding to the wine's interest. Very long. Quite light yet of powerful flavour. Rated as Excellent and excellent value at $25 if you like the style.
I should note that there was a “$5 tasting – fully refundable on purchase†message written on the blackboard within the cellar door. However, I was not asked for $5 and I confidently assume that the sign’s purpose is to scare away wine drinkers as opposed to tasters, and it did the trick. As I was in my state of ecstasy whilst tasting the RunRig, a couple came in, had a look at the wine tasting list including the $125 and $187.50 wines, saw the $5 tasting charge, and left. Worked a dream! Avner, another greatly hospitable cellar door dweller, and I had a considerable chuckle.
I left Torbreck a happy taster, even with my pockets $233.50 lighter, as I drove down to the Holy Barossa Mecca, Rockford.
The 2002 Torbreck Viognier/Marsanne/Roussanne ($32.50) and 2002 Torbreck Woodcutter's Red Shiraz ($18.50) were sold out.
Kind regards,
Adair
I did not expect much of this wine as I had read negative reviews but to its credit it combined fresh lemon Semillon characters with very subtle oak flavours and a smooth palate and a long finish with fine acidity. Complex enough and very well made. Rated as Recommended/Highly Recommended and very good value at $15.50.
2002 Torbreck Juveniles: Grenache / Shiraz / Mataro: 14.4%
Long, silky palate of ripe dark, somewhat jammy, fruits unhindered by oak or tannin with a confected aspect. Fine acid backbone. Jammy characters of the Grenache are well controlled. Very good for what it attempts to be but too simple for $27.50. Rated as Recommended.
2001 Torbreck The Steading: Grenache / Shiraz / Mataro: 14.7%
Quite similar to the 2002 Juveniles in flavour, still with a confected aspect, but with a sweet oak spices. Long finish but again too simple for $32.50. Rated as Recommended.
2002 Torbeck The Struie: Shiraz (67% Barossa / 33% Eden Valley): 14.5%
Very well controlled ripe Shiraz fruit of significant power and depth in typical Barossa mould on the front palate. The fruit is more powerful and more layered than that of The Steading and Juveniles yet is much better controlled. Great oak handling provides sweet spice and charry complexity. Cooler spices and pepper become apparent from the Eden Valley fruit further on the palate and combines with tannins that are ripe, fine and creamy to provide length to the already deep wine. Rated as Excellent. This wine stands out in the Torbreck range considering its price of $46. I bought a bottle.
2002 Torbreck Descendant: 92% Shiraz / 8% Viognier: 14.5%
This is a beautiful Shiraz Viognier and the winemaker is obviously a specialist in this style creating a wine of deep set black fruits with violets and apricots on a long silky mouthfeel. However, it stands in the shadow of RunRig in terms of price as well as complexity, interest and depth, and it is very hard to justify the $125 price tag when tasted next to the RunRig. Rated as Highly Recommended. Maybe my impressions of the RunRig affected this rating.
2001 Torbreck The Factor: Shiraz: 14.2%
This is obviously TorbreckÂ’s typically Barossa Shiraz. Excellent ripe Shiraz fruit, charry French oak characters, great length, ripe tannins, etc, etc, etc. Although I rated this wine as Excellent, at $125 this wine represents terrible value. I can buy a wine of similar quality in as close a style as the art of wine allows from 10 other nearby producers for less than half the price! Â… and I prefer the cooler complexities of The Struie better.
2001 Torbreck RunRig – Shiraz Viognier (97% Shiraz/3% Viognier)
This wine is $187.50 per bottle and it needed to greatly impress me not to disappoint, and it did not. This wine is amazing. It absolutely blew me away. The nose is powerful but the palate is awesome. The wine is amazingly ripe yet does not cloy. I struggled to remember a wine of such depth and of such width on the palate. I did not know my palate could be so filled with flavour. Black fruits, dark cherries, sweet spices, even a hint of pepper that goes as long as any wine previously thanks to ripe, silky, creamy tannins. The wine is so ripe that I find it hard to distinguish any apricot sweetness from the Viognier but it probably has attributed to the smooth mouthfeel. I must state again, this wine does not cloy. So many wines of this price do not provide the taster with something special, unique or unusual. This wine does. The difference between good and great is not much yet is very rare, so determining whether this wine represents good value is quite pointless. Rated as Outstanding/Ultimate, I bought a bottle.
I then discussed whether this wine would age well. The person at the cellar door said yes but I donÂ’t know whether I will be able to enjoy it any more that it is now. I donÂ’t know whether I will ever find out.
2002 Torbreck The Bothie: 14.5% (lightly fortified with brandy)
I nearly did not try this wine after the ecstasy of the previous wine but I am most happy that I did. This wine has many different layers, all of whicj lightly dance on the tongue, starting with lemon and floral aromatics to deeper lime, honey, nuts and marmalade balanced perfectly with the wineÂ’s fine acid. The fortification is very mild and balanced, as is the residual sugar, both adding to the wine's interest. Very long. Quite light yet of powerful flavour. Rated as Excellent and excellent value at $25 if you like the style.
I should note that there was a “$5 tasting – fully refundable on purchase†message written on the blackboard within the cellar door. However, I was not asked for $5 and I confidently assume that the sign’s purpose is to scare away wine drinkers as opposed to tasters, and it did the trick. As I was in my state of ecstasy whilst tasting the RunRig, a couple came in, had a look at the wine tasting list including the $125 and $187.50 wines, saw the $5 tasting charge, and left. Worked a dream! Avner, another greatly hospitable cellar door dweller, and I had a considerable chuckle.
I left Torbreck a happy taster, even with my pockets $233.50 lighter, as I drove down to the Holy Barossa Mecca, Rockford.
The 2002 Torbreck Viognier/Marsanne/Roussanne ($32.50) and 2002 Torbreck Woodcutter's Red Shiraz ($18.50) were sold out.
Kind regards,
Adair
), I will tell you. Otherwise, if anyone else gets to taste the RunRig and The Descendant side by side before I do again, please post your thoughts.
.
. Some people love the brett characteristics and seek them out. If the winemaker meant the wine to taste like slimy salami and you happen to like that also then everyone wins, although I probably wouldn't like to have dinner anywhere near you. 