Torbreck Dinner

Torbreck dinners are always great value and gregarious affairs. Last night was particularly good, as I came away with the lucky door prize (see the Steading Magnum on the left).

The range of wines included the following reds:

- 2002 Juveniles

-2003 The Steading

-2006 The Struie

-2007 The Gask

-2005 RunRig

The Steading showed very well, great complexity, texture and length. I think in some ways, this is David Powell's best wine. I will do a little vertical tasting in a couple of weeks.

The Struie was another highlight. A fullbodied Shiraz, yet elegant and interesting. The Gask was from the warm 2007 vintage and tasted more like a Barossa floor wine than from the Eden Valley, where the single vinyard is located - a bit broad and undifferentiated for my taste.

I am not sure I was at my tasting best, when the time came for the RunRig. Therefore I will not review the wine. It was big and sweet, as you would expect, a meal in itself. My sense was I had tasted better vintages of this wine, but still, this wine stands out from its many imitators through the elegance it has despite its big frame.