2010 Australia

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 Astralis is still quite primary eliciting aromas of black plums, blueberry compote and blackcurrant liqueur with a savory and baking spice undercurrent plus a fragrant whiff of violets. Very structured, fine and complex in the medium to full-bodied mouth, this wine is revealing much more than when I first tasted it a year ago and is now showing layer upon layer of black fruit preserves, mocha, toast and spices before finishing with great length. Extraordinary wine.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Wine Advocate - Issue#211 Feb 2014

The 2010 Grange spent 17 months in new American oak barrels, but wears this draconian oak regime with ease. Very big and rich on the nose, surprisingly savoury with hints of tapenade, blueberry fruit, dark chocolate and coffee all competing for attention.

On swirling, the glass becomes entirely coated with this viscous, dark wine. Dense, rich and powerful on the palate, reminiscent of young vintage Port in its intensity, but without the high alcohol or sweetness, in fact it's very savoury on the palate too. Notes of very dark fruit and high cocoa solid chocolate abound, but are kept in check by perfectly judged acidity and meltingly fine tannins. Dry, but immensely long and satisfying on the finish, linear and fine. This is what the best Douro table wine should be like, but seldom is, powerful and complex, yet refined and dry. Very impressive. One of the best vintages ever? It certainly has a very long life ahead of it.
Chris Pollington - Private Account Manager

Torbreck see this as the most Barossa wine they produce – they’re not wrong in 2010 either. The nose of this wonderful wine strikes you immediately as very fine, very serious Australian Shiraz. This density, complexity and purity of the dark and brooding fruit is that which can only come from meticulously tended, old vines and assured, hands-off winemaking. Wines of this quality from the Barossa can be drunk young, but I would implore any buyer to cellar for this for a decade as I am sure it will evolve into one of the great Torbreck wines. Only question is, bottles, magnums or bigger?
Gary Owen, Private Account Manager

Very dark with black bright core. Lovely spice and cigar box aroma. Very pure cassis and cassis leaf. Just a touch of mintiness on the palate. Tastes like a ripe bordeaux. Terrific compact fruit and tannins yet so refined. Some graphite on the finish. Long, firm but so elegant. Finesse in the structure and the fruit less obviously sweet than on some of the wines in this new-release line up. The fruit has just eaten up the oak.
Julia Harding, MW - jancisrobinson.com - February 2014

According to Robert Parker, “Torbreck remains a Barossa Valley benchmark, as well as one of the world’s greatest wine estates.” The wines of Torbreck have a very strong Berry Bros. & Rudd staff following. We whole heartedly agree with Robert Parker (above) and Neal Martin when he says “….this is one of my favourite Australian wines, big and bold like many others, but each wine imbued with its own individuality.”

Torbreck is one of the most iconic estates in Australia and they craft a large yet quality-driven portfolio ranging from the deliciously dry Steading blanc and juicy Cotes du Rhone styled “Cuvee Juveniles” to the vinous colossi that are “RunRig” and “The Laird”. Balance is the key to these wines. This is a quality that often eludes the wines from hotter regions such as the Barossa Valley. With only good soil and middle age vines it is easy to make blockbuster reds in the Barossa; what is very difficult is to make wines with power combined with balance, lift and purity that comes with the very best old vines. It is this balance of power and purity that is the hallmark of Torbreck wines and, quite simply, this is why we like them so much. All the wines are impressive, and the estate deserves all the praise it gets. In Scottish, 'The Laird' refers to the Lord of the Manor. A rare bottling only produced when conditions are right. This single vineyard Shiraz comes from the very old Gnadenfrei vineyard in the sub-region of Marananga in the Barossa Valley (now solely owned by Torbreck), considered to be among the finest vineyards in all of the Barossa. The first vintage was 2005 and 2010 represents only the 4th vintage produced to date. 2010 was an epic year in the Barossa and this is surely destined to be an icon.

A few hours coaxing from the glass reveals a smorgasbord of aromas, dark chocolate covered plums, crème de cassis. This rich exotic element balanced with notes of undergrowth, anise and hints of Lapsang Souchong. Bold and unashamedly mouth coating flowing onto a fine mid palate with bags of energy and precision from the outstandingly balanced acidity. An almost menthol like element flowing onto the persistent length. Opulent and harmonious all in one. A beauty now but give it 5 years to meld and soften and enjoy to 2035+.
Ben Upjohn, Fine Wine Sales Manager

Deep garnet-purple in color and sporting a very forward and expressive, creme de cassis-led nose with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and cigar boxes plus a whiff of dried herbs following, the full-bodied 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated and classic Barossa Cabernet style shaped by medium to firm, grainy tannins and crisp acid. It finishes very long.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - eRobertParker.com #211 Feb 2014

The expression of Shiraz from a single vineyard, the original Magill vineyard to the East of Adelaide, with the fruit crushed, fermented and matured on-site at the original Penfolds Magill winery, established in 1844. An elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both French and American oak.

RunRig has often drawn comparison with the beautifully fragrant & tautly structured wines produced from the steep slopes of the Northern Rhône Valley’s Appellation of Côte Rôtie.  A beautiful and flawless blend of 97.5% Shiraz and 2.5% Viognier.
 
A brooding darkness of morello cherry, blackberry fruits, spiced apricots and olive tapenade on the nose gives a hint at the serious beast of a wine we are about to encounter.  The palate is powerful with a huge mid palate of taught tannins and acidity, perfectly matched by a rich core of fruit, dark chocolate and espresso.  A beguiling, multi-faceted wine. One for the long haul, drink 2018 – 2030.
Stuart Rae, Fine Wine Manager
 
For me, the finest wine of Torbreck and one of the most impressive New World wines you could ever hope to taste. There’s a dash of Viognier here to enliven and lift the aromatics, but it’s the old vine Shiraz driven rich, black fruit characters, chocolate, liquorice and spice notes which set the tone. Layer after layer, this is super charged but somehow a sense of precision and finesse remains. The real joy of the great Torbreck wines is the marriage of texture and big dark flavours with a refinement, balance and poise rarely seen in the Barossa.
Martyn Rolph, Fine Wine Manager

Ben Glaetzer carries on a family tradition of winemaking in the Barossa Valley which began in 1888. His father Colin created the current winery and Ben has now assumed control. The aim is to craft wines of great intensity and definition from plots of very old vines, aged from 50-130 years old. The 2010 climate made for wines of excellent concentration; rains were ample and came at the right time, after 7 years of near-drought, and the key summer months proved hot in the day but cool in the evening, especially in March as the harvest neared. This preserved vital acidity in the grapes, creating the balance which marks out the fine from the merely very good.

Yields here are very low, further enhancing the concentration and intensity in the wine. The wine is aged for 16 months in 100% new oak, of which 95% is French and 5% American.

The bouquet exhibits blackberry and dark plum aromas, laced with a hint of pepper, while on the palate there is a lush richness which embraces more black fruits, coffee and dark chocolate. There is a wonderful purity and freshness allied to the density mentioned above, and the length on the finish is quite extraordinary. A wine which can be drunk now but which will age comfortably for at least a decade or more.

Les Amis is a 100% Grenache cuvee, sourced from a single plot of vines planted in 1901. This is testament to what only the most fastidious farming can achieve - purity, intensity and finesse.

This is a beautifully perfumed and seductive wine.  Swathes of lifted blueberry and fruits of the forest on the nose, added to that a savoury note of pepper and spice.  The mid palate is lush and full, with layers and layers of fruit all given air of grace by the beautifully fine acidity.
Stuart Rae, Fine Wine Manager

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 The Armagh Shiraz flaunts a gorgeous aromatic red and black fruit core intermingled with clove, chocolate box, and eucalyptus aromas that are still very primary. Bottled under screw cap, it has a really fine palate that is very elegant yet powerful. With vibrant acid, firm and very fine tannins, the flavors are rich and layered with spices coming through on the long finish. Drink it from 2015 to 2030+. 
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Nov 2015