Tasted this tonight:
Torbreck "The Steading" Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro, 2007
(Barossa, Australia)
This wine has a great story: winemaker/owner Dave Powell discovered some old & practically dead dry-farmed vines, nurtured them back to life, and then worked out a contract to share-farm them (he takes care of the vineyard management, and gives a portion of the fruit price to the land owner). He started making great Rhone-style wines from these phylloxera-free, century+ old, ungrafted vines while continuing to source old plots and arrange share-farm contracts. In this way, he has built up a collection of fruit from some of the oldest vines in Barossa. He labels his wines "Torbreck" in honor of the beautiful Torbreck forest in Scotland where he once worked as a lumberjack.
He makes several different wines, including Rhone-style whites and an incredibly high end red called The Laird.
The Steading best exemplifies what Torbreck is all about. It has that old-vine grenache aroma of dried black fruits, plus the meatiness that shiraz and mataro give to to the blend-- charcouterie, bacon & braised meat. Great oak integration, tart acidity, soft tannins, and a peppery hot finish.
(Mataro is Catalan for mourvèdre/monastrell)
Torbreck "The Steading" Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro, 2007
(Barossa, Australia)
This wine has a great story: winemaker/owner Dave Powell discovered some old & practically dead dry-farmed vines, nurtured them back to life, and then worked out a contract to share-farm them (he takes care of the vineyard management, and gives a portion of the fruit price to the land owner). He started making great Rhone-style wines from these phylloxera-free, century+ old, ungrafted vines while continuing to source old plots and arrange share-farm contracts. In this way, he has built up a collection of fruit from some of the oldest vines in Barossa. He labels his wines "Torbreck" in honor of the beautiful Torbreck forest in Scotland where he once worked as a lumberjack.
He makes several different wines, including Rhone-style whites and an incredibly high end red called The Laird.
The Steading best exemplifies what Torbreck is all about. It has that old-vine grenache aroma of dried black fruits, plus the meatiness that shiraz and mataro give to to the blend-- charcouterie, bacon & braised meat. Great oak integration, tart acidity, soft tannins, and a peppery hot finish.
(Mataro is Catalan for mourvèdre/monastrell)
Here is the logo-- a gold-embossed wood cut of the beloved Torbreck forrest.
The bottle shape is pretty interesting too. It's really easy to work with in the cellar, and it doesn't drip much.
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