Torbreck Descendant 2021
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 Descendant Vineyard is the crown jewel of Torbreck, located in the small yet vibrant hamlet of Marananga, which is nestled between Stonewell and Greenock and adjacent to Seppetlsfield. Marananga has become a sanctuary for producing some of the finest red wine in the Barossa Valley. Its unique terroir produces deeply coloured red wines that are renowned for their natural balance and formidable structure. The Descendant Vineyard is particularly special to Torbreck, as it was the original block of the estate and remains home to their winery and cellar door. The vineyard was established on a traditional mixed farm in 1993, and it has been producing exceptional grapes ever since. Planted with cuttings from ancient Barossa Shiraz vines that produce the iconic RunRig wine, the Descendant Vineyard is home to the true descendants of RunRig. Mataro, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne vines were later added, contributing to the vineyard's diverse range of varietals. In 2018, the vineyard even established a traditional bush vine Grenache vineyard, adding another important dimension to the vineyard's offerings. Marananga's terroir provides the Descendant Vineyard with great substance and energy, which results in grapes that are singular in their dimension. These grapes are so exceptional that they warrant single vineyard bottlings, something that Torbreck is immensely proud of.
The shiraz is crushed straight on top of viognier, which has been lightly pressed for RunRig, and the blend of fruit is then co-fermented. Maturation over 20 months is in barrels that have previously been used for RunRig.
The Torbreck Descendant 2021 is a deep garnet in colour, with 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. This wine will continue to develop complexity over the next 15-20 years and promises to be a true collector's item.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz 94%, Viognier 6%
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa, South Australia
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 15%