Torbreck New Premium Shiraz Releases

The latest Torbreck Shiraz releases are from difficult hot years in the Barossa. Given this, they perform pretty well, but the prices are high. It might be better to wait for the 2009 wines.

The 2008 Torbreck The Struie is a Shiraz with fruit from the Barossa Valley as well as Eden Valley. The wine is quite smooth and shows the lifted flavours typical for Eden Valley. The fruit concentration is not as good as in other years (92 points).

The Factor has never been a favorite of mine. I find this Shiraz too ripe and concentrated to drink more than a glass of. And what for the rest of the evening? The 2007 Torbreck The Factor shows overripe fruit, the flavour is very meaty and the finish dull (90 points).

The 2007 Torbreck Descendant is much livelier, partly due to the Viognier component. This is a serious and also elegant wine with a lasting finish (94 points).

The 2007 Torbreck RunRig is a good wine, but will no doubt split the tasters. The wine is quite sweet, with plenty of chocolate besides the dark plum and blackcurrant fruit. The finish is good, but lacks the complexity of previous years (93 points).