Product Description:
An Icon of Opulence, Structure, and Timeless Elegance - Torbreck’s flagship wine, The Laird, is a masterpiece of Shiraz, crafted from the finest, low-yielding old vines in the Barossa Valley. A symbol of intensity and elegance, The Laird embodies the very essence of the region with its profound depth, complexity, and remarkable aging potential. The 2020 vintage is a stunning expression that reflects a challenging growing season, yet delivers a wine of exceptional concentration, structure, and balance.
The name "The Laird" evokes the grandeur and history of the Barossa’s terroir, and this vintage continues to honour that legacy. A blend of meticulously selected parcels from Torbreck’s oldest vineyards, the 2020 is a wine that requires patience, but promises a lifetime of reward for those who have the foresight to cellar it.
The 2020 Torbreck The Laird is a wine that stands as a testament to the craftsmanship and dedication of Torbreck, a wine that will reward those who invest the time to appreciate its evolution. An extraordinary wine for collectors and connoisseurs alike. The 2020 Laird is a wine that demands patience. It is a wine built to age, with the structure and balance to evolve gracefully over the next several decades. It is best enjoyed from 2025 onwards, with the potential to cellar for 40 years or more.
Maker:
Torbreck is a winery on a mission to become one of the world's great wine brands. Since 1994, they have remained committed to creating exceptional Rhone-style red and white wines that reflect the very best vineyards in Australia's famous Barossa region. Provenance is everything to them, and they believe that the Barossa is the most exciting place to make wine in the world. With a European sense of tradition, Torbreck pays tribute to the vineyards with minimal intervention, creating wines of richness, structure and length that age gracefully. The multi-generational growers, whose descendants arrived here nearly two centuries ago, are the backbone of Torbreck's winemaking aspirations. They work in partnership with the people of the Barossa who grow their fruit, always aiming to get the very best out of their vineyard sites. At Torbreck, they constantly seek to understand the difference between all of these special places in the Barossa and how this combination of soil, climate and farming experience is reflected in unique grape flavors. They are simply custodians, enhancing the innate expressiveness of the wines and enabling them to reveal over time their individual origins and personality. Torbreck is actually named after the forest near Inverness, Scotland where the winery's founder, David Powell worked as a lumberjack after completing university studies.
The winemaking style at Torbreck is meticulous and dedicated to producing exceptional wines. They use carefully selected 225-litre oak barriques for maturation, known as Dominique Laurent 'Magic Casks'. The oak is personally harvested from Forêt de Tronçais in Allier, and the staves are aged for 48 to 54 months at an exposed location for maximum seasoning. The staves are then hand-made into barrels and heated over three differing flames for several hours, resulting in a gentle toast due to the remarkable density of the wood. Torbreck's winemaking style reflects their commitment to producing exceptional wines that reflect the unique terroir of the Barossa region.
The Laird:
Torbreck The Laird is the result of a rare and remarkable opportunity that Torbreck seized with passion and dedication. When presented with the chance to work with one of the most renowned vineyards in the Barossa Valley, they knew something extraordinary would be created. In 2003, Torbreck was approached by Malcolm and Joylene Seppelt, the fourth generation descendants of the Seppelt family, who entrusted their old Gnadenfrei vineyard in Marananga to Torbreck's winemakers. The vineyard, planted in 1958, spans five acres and is a treasure trove of traditional dry-grown vines sourced from original Barossa clones. Situated on the eastern side of a ridge between Seppeltsfield and Marananga appellations, the vineyard faces south and benefits from meticulous hand-tending, traditional farming methods and the expertise of a grower with a lifetime of experience in Western Barossa's unique dark clay loam and red friable clay soils. The meticulous care lavished upon these aged vines results in low yields of small, concentrated Shiraz berries that are the envy of winemakers throughout the Barossa Valley. When Torbreck first tasted the wine produced from this vineyard, it was clear that something truly exceptional had been created. Longingly, they watched as the wine was returned to the Seppelts, knowing that it was the best they had ever made. In 2005, Torbreck's unyielding belief in the potential of this vineyard led them to convince the Seppelts to sell the fruit, marking the birth of The Laird. Recognized as one of the world's greatest single vineyard Shiraz wines, The Laird solidifies its reputation as Torbreck acquired the Gnadenfrei vineyard in 2013, ensuring its legacy.
Tasting Notes
NOSE – Alluring Depth
Luxurious black and blue fruits, including satsuma plum, blackberry, black cherry, and cassis. Complemented by savoury elements of olive brine, tar, bay leaf, vanilla pod, and black tea. A complex spice profile, with hints of cinnamon and liquorice.
PALATE – Rich and Structured Elegance
Deep, round, and plush, with an immediate impact of ripe fruit balanced by a degree of elegance. Firm, tight tannins anchor the fruit, providing structure and grace. Layered complexity.
FINISH – Endless Length
The finish is both structured and elegant, with fine tannins providing a long, seamless conclusion. Lingering note of black fruit and spice extends the experience.
Reviews + Accolades:
The 2020 vintage was the third in a string of dry hot years, and this was marred by disastrously low yields, owing to heat and 80 kilometers per hour winds during the flowering. The 2020 The Laird is from the Gnadenfrei vineyard in Marananga, planted in 1958. The Marananga growing area is known for producing powerful, muscular, tannic Shiraz, and I tend to find the full-throated shout of flavour and concentration to be both convincing and a little exciting. The Laird does exactly this, holding back for no person and providing no subtlety nor mystique. Tasting it, one wonders if these things are strictly necessary anyway; here, we have unbridled power and intensity, old-vine tannic thrust and a black hole of impenetrable fruit, with notes of peat, leather, peppercorns, sweet roasted meat, pan juices and forest moss. It's an iconic wine that has retained its soul and purpose over the years, decisive, distinct, potent and precise, haunting and evocative. The dry-grown vineyard has been there longer than many of the people saying it can't be done. There's something in that - Erin Larkin, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate, 98 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2020
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 15.5%
