TORB's 2003 South Australian Tour Diary

Chapter Five - Wednesday - The Barossa Valley (Click here for Chapter Four)

 

The trip to the Barossa via Handorf through the back roads is an easy drive that takes less than two hours as there is little traffic, but it is a little windy with lots of turns. The first appointment was at 10 AM so I had plenty of time to check into the Wiental Motel (which is very good value at $79 a single per night) and have a cup of coffee in Tanunda. I must admit that although it was a quiet drive without The Pie King bending my ear, it would have been great if he could have joined me for the rest of the trip but he decided that staying married was a higher priority. g1

 

Ross Estate has only been going for a few years but already has a reputation for making consistent good honest fruit driven value wines that are reasonably subtle by many Barossa standards. Rod Chapman is the winemaker and has a wealth of experience working in the industry. The cellar door itself is a good reflection of the wines made and sold here. It’s good looking but not flash, the quality is there and lots of attention has been paid to the detail; a pretty good combination.

 

The guy who ran the cellar door and I stated chatting about our backgrounds and it turns out I used to watch him play rugby for Easts (in Sydney) when I was in my early teens and manning the scoreboard for my local club; it is indeed a small world. He still looks like a big ugly forward so some things don’t change.

 

Ross Estate 2001 Lyndoch is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Cabernet Franc 40% and Merlot that sells for $25 at CD. The wine has a pleasant palate profile with savoury blackberry/mulberry spectrum fruit leading to a mid palate of blackcurrant with loads of mint and a hint of coffee on the tail. It’s an ample weight wine that is well supported by smooth but dusty tannins which provides a solid backbone and the distinct fruit is layered and harmonious. An agreeable well made and constructed wine that is currently rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve by about 2006 when the wine reaches it peak.

 

Ross Estate 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $25 at CD. A sweet and savoury complex aroma showing sweet berry fruit, capsicum, coffee/mocha and a hint of chocolate and mint. On the palate the tannins are noticeably dusty but smooth and provide a good mouth feel leading to an interesting tasting wine with sweet blue fruit, savoury black fruit, very noticeable capsicum and the wine finishes with good length. It’s a good honest well made wine of ample weight and a solid structure and layered flavours that’s currently rated as Recommended with *** for value the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2006.

 

Ross Estate 2000 Shiraz sells for $26 at CD. The nose shows sweet red, blue and black berry fruits with a hint of spice. The pure fruit and smooth tannins combine with unobtrusive acid to qualify this wine as a well made good bistro wine that express white pepper, spice blackcurrant, mint and milk chocolate on the palate. Its harmonious, has an agreeable complexity and can be drunk now, rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Ross Estate 2001 Shiraz will sell for $26 at CD when it’s released in a short while. A good mouth feel results from the smooth almost silky tannins and the pure deep fruit builds across the palate and fills the mouth in layers with red cherry, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, mint and subtle spice. Its ample weight with a supple consistency and has a solid layered structure with some elegance and a developed level of complexity. It’s also a good food wine that’s currently rated as Recommended with *** for value but that rating should improve as the wine matures around 2006.

 

Ross Estate Tempranillo Graciano (NV) sells for $17 and is only available at CD. If you want something totally different then this is worth a shot. The wine has an interesting flavour profile with earthy, cherry and chocolate flavours from the pure but almost delicate fruit which is well matched with the unobtrusive low level tannins. The lively acid means this wine will be well suited to oily foods and is ready to be drunk now. Don’t know what to rate it as I don’t have enough experience with this style of wine.  

 

Ross Estate Summary – All the wines are well made and constructed where the fruit has been allowed to be the primary focus and any oak that’s used is used in support. The wines are all very clean and indeed the 2001 Shiraz is close to technical perfection but saddles that fine line of doing so without being boring. This winery seems to just keep producing good honest well made wines that are food compatible year in and year out. A safe bet no matter what you try.

Grant Burge Winery 1

A quick drive up the road leads you to the driveway of Grant Burge. As you proceed up the driveway on the left hand side you will notice a fenced off area with some Australian native animals such as kangaroos, etc. I don’t know if this area has been provided as a tourist attraction or a refuge for injured animals but the facilities provided would now be regarded (by zoo standard) as inadequate and out of date for long term animal habitation.

 

It turns out this land is actually owned by Orlando although anyone driving into Grant Burge could be forgiven for thinking it was Grant Burge property (I did). Considering that Orlando has just spent mega bucks constructing a new cellar door facility it's a pity that the animal enclosure wasn't fixed up as it detracts from the overall high class look and feel of the Grant Burge Winery who has nothing to do with it.

 

Grant Burge has one the best cellar door buildings in the Barossa and one of the few wineries that have the complete range for everyone to try. They should be commended for their CD operation and it’s a pity that more wineries are not as generous in their attitude towards their customers. The cellar door staff are exceedingly obliging and everyone is made to not only feel welcome but a bit special too. The staff seem to go out of their way to be attentive and helpful. Sure some other wines do this too, but none do it better than Grant Burge.

 

Whilst I was there I had the need to use the facilities and the walk to the amenities is very unusual and one that shows how successful this winery has been on the show circuit. The walk is down a long straight flight of stairs and both side walls are totally covered with certificates, medals and show ribbons. Even a person as cynical as I am about the show circuit can’t help being impressed with that walk of glory.

 

Grant Burge 2000 Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $20 at CD. The lifted sweet blackcurrant, chocolate and mint scents are clean and follow through to the palate with good length. Tannins are unobtrusive and the pure and intense fruit combine to form a medium body wine with a silky consistency and seamless structure that’s clean, well made and an idea crowd pleasing easy drinking food wine. Rated as Recommended with *** for value; you would buy this in a restaurant without a second thought.

Grant Burge 2001 Miamba Shiraz sells for $18.50 at CD. Initial very sweet raspberry jam goes quickly into savoury liquorice, black pepper and spice finishing respectably long. It’s a silky ample weight fruit driven wine that’s seamless and harmonious and very similar in style to the Cameron Vale Cabernet. It’s another mass homosapien satisfying vinous substance and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

 

Grant Burge 2001 Filsell Shiraz sells for $27 at CD. A savoury palate of chocolate, plums, raspberry with hints of white pepper, the wine is well balanced, ample weight and agreeable. The flavour profile is more interesting than the Miamba or Cameron Vale but at this price it doesn’t stand out in a crowd. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

 

Grant Burge 1999 RSZ1 Shiraz sells for $39.75 at CD. The wine is made from Eden Valley fruit and is matured in French oak and some will love its understated style and some just won’t get it but which ever way you look at it, the wine needs about another three years to show its true colours. Tannins are smooth and almost creamy; the acid despite fours years is still refreshing and the fruit obvious, all combining to form a refined and well developed medium weight wine. Sweet upfront raspberry with good contrasting savoury peppery characters, aniseed and mint make up a palate profile that is consistent with the bouquet. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value.

 

Grant Burge 1999Holy Trinity sells at CD for $30. Mourvedre dominates the nose with hints of chocolate and blackberry. The palate is a surprise; initially savoury it’s sweet on the mid palate with excellent complexity and a long finish of dusty tannins. The acid is fresh which compliments the pure persistent fruit. An ample weight wine its reasonably elegant (for a Barossa wine) with a sophisticated complexity; its good, but I prefer the 1998. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it should peak around 2006. 

 

Grant Burge 1999 Meshach Shiraz sells at CD for $90. Like a slap in the kisser, one sniff and this wine had my immediate and undivided attention. The bouquet is clean and inviting; just like a well kept public toilet when you are desperate to unload too much wine. . .It exudes intense blackberry, plums, a surprising level of mint (possibly some Eden Valley Cabernet?) cherry, chocolate and liquorice. The wine has a sensual mouth feel which is provided by the silky tannins that translate to a supple consistency. Pure deep persistent fruit endowers a melodious stylish complexity linking blackberry, mocha, liquorice, coffee, chocolate and cherry into a seamless package of ample weight with a lengthy finish. All-in-all, a “Katherine Hepburn wine,” all class and style and a step up from the 98. Rated as Excellent with *** for value. Like Ms Hepburn, this is a classic in the making.

 

Grant Burge Summary – This winery produces a good and diverse range of wines that without exception are all well made. Another label where the only questions you need to ask are “how much do I want to spend and how good will the wine be?” No disappointments or poor quality here.

 

Time for a quick bite to eat before my next appointment and as The Meat Pie King is about 100 k away, its safe to drool over a salad sandwich on wholemeal bread and a cup of coffee. Gee that was so good!

 

Rockford is one of the standout wineries in the Barossa, not just because of the quality of the wines but because of the ambiance of the winery building itself. Australia doesn’t have a long history compared to most other parts of the world so when we see ‘old’ buildings and traditional wine making equipment displayed as it is at Rockford, it makes one think of years gone by and the (not) so good old days. Rockford is one of the most enchanting and photographed wineries in Australia today. As well as the ambience there is the respect for the major shareholder, Robert O’Callaghan and his assistant, Chris Ringland who are both world renowned entities in their own right.

 

As someone who has visited more than a few wineries it takes a lot for me to feel impressed when I walk into a winery, but every time I walk into Rockford, I can’t help being absorbed by the ambiance and special nature of the environment. You just can’t help it.

 

Being a Stonewaller (long time mailing list customer) entitles the member to tasting by appointment in a special tasting room. Usually there are also a few special labels that have been produced in small quantities that are only available to Stonewallers who visit in person. Unfortunately on this visits there was little in the way of special wines available so I had to be satisfied with the usual line up.  

 

Rockford 1999 Mopa Springs GSM sells for $21.50 at CD. A lifted but elegant bouquet translates to a palate of initial sweet raspberry that instantly turns intensely savoury with strong black pepper and a hint of mint on a very long finish. Smooth unobtrusive tannins and fresh acid mesh with the medium weight persistent fruit with a developed complexity and combine to form a firm consistency and long solid structure that should become seamless in time. An interesting food friendly wine that’s well made and currently rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should increase as the wine matures around 2005.

 

  

Rockford 2000 Rod and Spur (Shiraz 69% Cabernet31%) sells for $27.50 at CD. The bouquet immediately gets ones attention with its contrasting sweet cassis like fruit and savoury notes. Dusty tannins need time to integrate which is good as the acid is also very young and will benefit from about another four or more years. This is a wine with noble structure, it’s layered and shows some elegance but it also has the added plus of a sophisticated refined complexity. The medium weight fruit fills the mouth and builds in waves across the palate going from almost sour to sweet and then breaks with a long rolling finish. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

 

Rockford 1998 Basket Press Shiraz is a re-release of the original and sells for $58 at CD. It was nice to have the opportunity to try this wine again but as I had purchased it previously for about $20 a bottle less, I wasn’t tempted. However it will give those who missed out another chance to buy the wine. The aroma is complex showing rich black fruit and a hint of dusty oak. It’s the sort of wine you want to sit and sniff all day, way better than glue or paint.

 

A charming mouth feel is provided by the smooth tannins that will lose some of their dustiness with more time and the pure deep fruit provided a sophisticated complexity which expresses itself as blackberry, chocolate and cherry that builds across a solid layered structure to a huge finish. Give it five years and it will be seamless; it’s rated as Excellent with *** for value. 

 

Rockford 1997 Vintage Port sells for $58 AT CD. It’s made in very small quantities and whilst I liked it better than the 96 (which is saying something) because of its balance and lusciousness, I was so busy talking about it that I didn’t record any other details. Rated as Outstanding with *** for value, it’s a truly special wine.

 

Rockford Summary – it doesn’t need one! It’s all been said.

 

Next stop up the road was Kaesler Wines. I first visited this winery last year and was very impressed with what they are doing here. Having some Swiss Bankers as backers with very deep pockets who don’t mind investing a Franc or few million helps but even with a load of investment, you still need a good winemaker and they have one in Reid Bosward.

 

The wineries most famous wine (a US cult) is the Old Bastard but their lesser cost brands should not be overlooked, all the wines made here are good and a huge amount of attention is paid to the smallest detail. On the last trip we tasted in a dark and dingy rustic cellar door but this year when I arrived I was greeted by a brand new building which looks pretty flash.

 

       The New Cellar Door 1

As I had the complete “Royal Tour” through the winery last year, I didn’t make an appointment this year and just walked in off the street like Joe Average. The lady behind the counter was smart enough to realise that I was on a mission and asked me if I wanted to try one of the unreleased wines “if she could get permission.” She tried to get her boss but he was tied up so she asked for Reid. Although he was obviously extremely busy, he came out and spent an hour with me and opened the complete line up including some unreleased wines. As I had said, this winery is a class act.

 

Kaesler 2001 GSM sells for $17.50 at CD. The wine is medium weight with a supple consistency even though the tannins are dusty. The fruit is very persistent with sweet up front raspberry flavours layered into savoury chocolate and spice. It’s a well constructed wine with great length (for the price) that’s well suited to food and will improve over the next three years. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, its great value.   

 

Kaesler 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $17.50 at CD. The wine is vivid bright purple in colour; there is dusty oak and sweet fruit on a warm nose. Loads of youthful powdery tannins and refreshing acid indicate this wine needs time to soften and come together but the persistent very savoury fruit of coffee and chocolate that finishes dry from the tannins is a touch hot. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

 

Kaesler 2001 Stonehorse Shiraz sells for $30 at CD. The wine is ample weight with a supple consistency and has good structure but needs a little time for the powdery tannins to integrate. It has well developed complexity from the deep fruit which shows plums, pepper, dark chocolate that finishes dry. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating has room for improvement over the next few years.

 

Kaesler 2000 Old Vines Shiraz sells for $60 at CD. Only 350 cases are made and the wine is unfined and unfiltered. There is some char to the aroma but the good fruit below is more than up to the task of handling it. This is a perfect case of intelligent use of charry oak. A seriously good wine always has to have structure and this is no exception; its long, layered and should be seamless in time. A major factor behind this structure is the silky dusty tannins that also result in a great mouth feel and when you combine that with the black diverse complexity from the intense blackberry, black cherry, mocha, coffee that also is responsible for the lengthly finish, its no surprise this wine is rated as Highly Recommended with (almost Excellent) *** for value.

Kaesler 2001 Old Vines Shiraz sells for $60 at CD and should be released by the time you read this. Cropped at 2.5 tonnes to the acre it’s unfiltered and unfined. A lifted bouquet of great complexity, it’s no surprise that the palate of dark plums, black chocolate, blueberry, on a very long drying finish comes across as a sledge hammer in a boxing glove that gently kisses your teeth but still knocks them out. A full bodied wine with supple consistency despite the abundant drying tannins, it’s still tight as a drum, and whilst the complexity is already developed and harmonious, it needs about 3 years to show its best. Rated as Excellent with *** for value.

 

Kaesler 2001 Bogan Shiraz sells for $50, has very limited distribution and is hard to get hold of which is a pity. The wine is made from a single block with vines planed in 1899 and matured in 100% new American oak.

 

Two things strike you as soon as the wine goes into the mouth. The first is the fruit purity which is also deep; totally black from start to finish and whilst there is some char to the oak, the fruit is more than up to the task on absorbing it and the finish just about goes into the next suburb. The second is the fantastic structure which is provided by the silky tannins, and sophisticated complexity and whilst the wine is full bodied it’s layered and seamless. Forget about an iron fist in a velvet glove, there is some elegance to this tipple but it’s almost a kick in the head by a mule wearing silk pantyhose. Great drinking now and currently rated as Excellent with *** for value but has room for improvement as it reaches its peak about 2006.

The Old Cellar Door 1

Kaesler 2001 Old Bastard Shiraz is due for release in November. Bottled only one month ago, this is the first review published on this wine and I would like to thank Reid Bosward for allowing me to try it. A lifted perfumed nose of great complexity (that was not inky black) showing rose petals was quite a surprise considering the inky black colour of the wine.

 

On the palate the first thing immediately noticeable is the “slippery” mouth feel which is created by the ultra smooth ever so slightly dusty tannins and pure deep fruit with refreshing acid.  It's intensely flavoured without being over extracted and although there is a slight amount of char, the fruit flavours of liquorice, aniseed, chocolate etc sucks up the char and finishes with great intensity and length. This is a full-bodied rich wine with a layered seamless structure and is stunningly seductive and silky. Rated as Excellent it should peak around 2005. It's not cheap at $120 but is a wine worth experiencing, especially if money is no object.

 

Kaesler Summary – All the wines are well made and show class. The humble GSM at $17.50 is their best value wine and one that’s well worth consideration and should not be overlooked just because it’s the lowest price wine. This winery is doing good things and should continue to improve as they gain more experience and their style becomes established. I can’t help get the feeling they are still looking to find their exact stylistic mark.

 

The last appointment of the day was at Torbreck Vintners. Much has been written about this winery which in many is not only a very successful Johnny come lately operation, but a unique enterprise. I was lucky enough to spend about two hours chatting to Dave Powell and trying the wines, so I know all the ins and outs of their history and now present a shortened version of “The Wold of Torbreck According to Dave.”

 

The story starts off as I arrive at the winery and Dave informs me that he has to go and pick up his children from the local primary school so we piled into his four wheel drive Toorak Tractor and chatted as we went.

 

Many years ago Dave was employed as a lumberjack in Scotland in a forest called Torbreck so when it came to naming his wines that’s the name he selected. This period of his life must have left a big impression on him as he has continued the theme and named a number of his wines from that period.

 

Dave started his career in the wine business as a cellar hand at Rockford and was lucky enough to have Chris Ringland take him under his wing and teach him about the black art of winemaking. During that period of six years when he was at Rockford and for years afterwards they were good mates. Whilst he was at Rockford, Dave feels that he learned how to build a wine company from Rockie O’Callaghan.   

 

Whilst he was driving, I asked Dave what is the secret of his success and he answered with the following comments. During his extensive travels around the world through all the major wine growing regions, Dave over the years came to realise the value of the old vine material in the Barossa and the fact that it was way under valued by world standards.

 

He said “At the end of the day I have been in the right place at the right time and have a taken no prisoners approach. I have been prepared to pay a lot of money for top grapes. I have been prepared to resuscitate some old vineyards that most other people would not have bothered with and we have been very successful.

 

The Australian wine press have always been very kind to me, people like James Halliday, Huon Hooke, Max Allen. They may not always necessarily agree with everything I do but they are all unanimous in the fact that Torbreck wines are pretty good wines. We obviously have different discussions with them about the price points, particularly with Max Allen but that’s OK we agree to disagree. At the end of the day I think we have benefited very much from the largess of the likes of Robert Parker in particular.”

 

During most of the initial conversation much of the discussion revolved around the importance of grapes.  For example Dave said “A lot of lip service is paid to grapes but at Torbreck the wines are made in the vineyard. You have to remember that I studied economics rather badly for a number of years, I never studied wine since and even to this day I don’t know much about wine science so to compensate for that I went and bough the best raw material I could because I felt the best way to make great wine is to have great grapes.. At the end of the day I still made the wines myself because quite frankly when you make the sorts of wines I do they are not that hard to make. If you get the grapes right and bring them to the winery the next step is not that hard. We have ten interns from all around the world this year during vintage and they all expected me to perform some type of alchemy but as I was not there very much. I was out in the vineyard making sure the grapes were being picked when they should have been picked and that’s the most important thing. I think they were a bit disappointed that they didn’t see me in the winery tweaking things all the time but there is really not much to do. The physical winemaking is done by Dan Standish.

 

Whilst I was in the car and Dave was picking up his child, I was left with some reading material which said “Mission Statement”. The aim of Torbreck is to become one of the worlds great wine producing estates using the resources of the Barossa Valley. Torbreck aims to become the world’s leading icon wine brand. At this stage we have established a cult status very quickly around limited production and we intend to increase production without diminishing the reputation of the Torbreck brand. To this end we need to increase our access to premium fruit primarily through vineyard acquisition and gain complete control over all aspects of wine production, marketing, sales and distribution.

 

When Dave returned to the vehicle with his son, I asked him about his dream to become the world’s leading icon brand and he was confident there was always room at the top and he could achieve the goal in twenty years.

 

Torbreck currently sells 40% of production in Australia, approximately 40% to the US and the other 20% to the rest of the world. The winery has big hopes for the new cellar door and has the intention to grow the Australian market penetration to 50% (of the expanded production) and drop the US back to 30%.

 

According to Dave, last year Torbreck almost doubled production and the bulk of the fruit came from disgruntled growers whose contracts with Southcorp had expired. As the majority of fruit is under contract the winery does not see a huge opportunity to get consistent high quality additional fruit from uncontracted growers so that’s why they are looking to vineyard acquisition.

 

Dave feels that in the longer term if they can purchase the vineyards they can grow the grapes for a fraction of the current grape purchase cost. As a result Dave is willing to pay a premium for property to get good old vines. Even though some people thinks he pays too much, Dave feels that if you can stick the fruit from that property into something like Run Rig it changes the equation.

 

“I have a very European view about it. I think it’s a lot of bollocks basing the price of a property on the normal market value of the grapes. Can you imagine if the Henschke family sold the Hill of Grace vineyard, do you think it would sell for the equivalent fruit price?” Buying a vineyard these days when you have a high end wine you can link them to, the price of the vineyard has nothing to do with the market value of the grapes. I am happy to pay more than the industry norm because of the value add I can make to those grapes.

 

From a production of 400 cases in 1995 to 43,000 cases in 2002 and almost as much in 2003 requires a massive amount of funding but Dave repeatedly maintains Torbreck has always been fully funded. Last year Dave and his wife went through a very messy and bitter divorce which saw the liquidation of the original company and Torbreck Vintners doing a Phoenix from the ashes.

 

Much was written about it in the press at the time and some false and inaccurate information was flying across the internet ether much of which Dave suspects was started by his competitors.

 

According to Dave “Everybody believed I had grown too fast and that’s the way they make themselves feel more comfortable about the fact that they hadn’t been able to manage to achieve it themselves and that I couldn’t achieve it either and the only reason I went down was because I had got too big for my boots. That’s a load of bollocks. As I said before we were fully funded and the bank had the money sitting there for us.”

 

Torbreck now has new shareholders, Jack Cowan (a Canadian investor who has 96%) Colin Ryan (who has almost 3%) and Dave has one share out of six and a half million. That one share has some interesting share options to it and provided the company is as profitable as expected over the next three and a half years, Dave will be rewarded with a substantial shareholding and an opportunity to buy back the farm.

 

Around this time we arrived back at the winery and as his son wasn’t around, Dave rolled a smoke and we stood outside on the veranda whilst he slurped on a cup of coffee and told me the in depth story about the bitter business falling out between himself and his ex-wife. I don’t propose to go into details here although Dave specifically stated he had no objections to me doing so as he would like the true story being told. As it’s long, complicated, intense and very bitter I’ll move on and concentrate on the wines.

 

“Torbreck Philosophy” The majority of the wines comes from vines that are between 80 and 125 years old. The fruit is all hand harvested from hand tendered vines. All fruit is destemmed but not completely crushed leaving approximately 40% whole berries. All fruit is fermented in small open fermenters in single vineyard batches. All fruit is manually handled minimising maceration. Typically time spent on skins is between 7-10 days. All fruit is basket pressed as gently as possible. All malolactic fermentation is natural. In lieu of filtration Torbreck uses gravitational setting and racking both in barrel and tank therefore eliminating the need to remove solid particles by filtration.

 

Torbreck 2001 Woodcutters Red sells for $18.50 at CD. The wine is 92% Shiraz and matured in old big barrels so there is minimal oak influence. Smooth powdery tannins, unobtrusive acid and medium weight pure fruit produce an agreeable wine with a soft consistency and silky mouth feel. The flavours are layered with savoury cherry and chocolate which builds across the palate and finishes with good length. It’s an easy drinking food wine that’s good now but should improve in the short term. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

 

Torbreck 2002 The Juveniles sells at CD for $27.50 Vivid purple in colour, intense fruit drives the bouquet of GSM blend. The standout feature of this wine (and indeed most of the others) is the fruit purity starting off as intense pepper with a contrasting sweetness. Whilst this contrast is happening, there is a firmness which is also builds across the palate that helps structure a long drying finish that goes on for ages. An interesting wine and a bit different. Rated as Recommended with *** for value. 

 

The previous vintage of this wine was widely reported to become spritzig and go out of condition. Dave maintains that “he has paid dearly” for that problem and the 2002 has been heat and cold stabilised to stop it occurring again. Dave also maintains that if the wine is decanted, the spritzig character will dissipate.

 

Torbreck 2001 The Steading sells at CD for $32.50 Unusual aroma of perfumed violets and some type of soap that Dave identified as saddle soap. (I am not in the habit of sniffing saddles.) Already the stylistic framework looks like its becoming apparent. This wine also shows great fruit purity that’s deep and strong. Unobtrusive powdery tannins are in abundance and together with the refreshing acid the wine shows an excellent layered structure. Ample in weight, the complexity is sophisticated and the initial upfront sweetness instantaneously goes savoury with pepper, aniseed and plums on a long drying finish. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine matures in about 3 years.

 

Torbreck 2001 The Struie sells for $46 at CD and it’s named after a place in the Scottish Highlands. 1,000 cases of this wine have been produced and it comes from Eden and Barossa fruit. This wine has a very unusual profile and not one I would have expected from Torbreck. There are bucket loads of drying tannins and the fruit is deeply buried at the moment. On the palate there are earthy drying tannins with white pepper, plums and chocolate. This is a serious wine but it’s angular at the moment and needs till 2009 or beyond to come together. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

 

Torbreck 2001 Descendants sells for $125 at CD. (For the record let me state that I am not a huge fan of Viognier in Shiraz but try not to let that get in the way of critical judgment.)  A very complex bouquet is added by the Viognier lift. This wine hitting the palate reminds me of a soldier standing around when an officer walks past, they snap to attention and salute. When this wine hits the tonsils it makes you sit up and take notice. The wine has a stunning mouth feel and as the complex Viognier flavours slam the palate and initially dominate, the Shiraz favours are slowly building and filling the mouth, all reaching a crescendo with a long drying finish.

 

A full body weight combines with a firm but silky consistency and a diverse and intricate complexity to form a wine that is rated as Excellent with ** for value that should peak in about 2010. It’s not cheap or great value but for a special occasion or if money is no object, go for it. I would like to try this in about seven years when it gets some bottle age. 

 

This wine comes from 5 year old vines that are cropped at 1.15 tonnes to the acre and 1,000 cases were produced.

 

Torbreck 2000 The Factor sells for $125 at CD. Like the Descendants this wine has a lovely mouth feel and if anything a better structure and balance. It’s full bodied, with a firm rich consistency, a solid structure is provided by the abundant drying dusty tannins and the deep strong persistent fruit is harmonious. Blackberry, liquorice, chocolate, plum and blackberry flavours have an incredibly long finish. If the Descendants snapped a soldier to attention, this wine will give that soldier the motivation to complete the obstacle course in record time to get to the bottle first. It’s simply a great wine and rated as Excellent now with ** for value the rating will improve as it matures around 2010.

 

This wine comes from three vineyards and it’s aged for 24 months in French Oak.

 

Torbreck Summary – There is a lot of hype surrounding these wines and much of it is deserved, there is no doubt they all have great fruit characters. However none of the wines (except possibly the Woodcutter) represent what I would term great value. It will be interesting to see if pricing can be maintained in the longer term when the increased production hits the market and the wines are no longer as scarce as they are today.

 

That ended the day’s tasting activities but the fun was just about to begin. I was having dinner with friends (who have been known to drink a bottle or five) so I booked a taxi for 6.50 as I was due at their place at 7. When the taxi was 15 minutes late I rang to find the lady who takes the booking had gotten talking to a friend that dropped into the depot and had forgotten my booking so I was late – I hate doing that as it looks rude.

 

When I arrived a rather enjoyable older red was thrust into my hand and I had to play the options game. Can’t even tell a bloody Shiraz and a Cabernet, xx I guessed it was Cabernet and it turned out to be a 1989 Wolf Blass Brown Label Shiraz. It had held up amazing well for a lesser vintage and still had glorious fresh fruit and was seamless.

 

The home cooked meal was most enjoyable and well prepared. Being red bigots we had salt and pepper squid followed by chicken. x

 

The other amazing wine of the night was a 1986 Tollana Bin 222 Cabernet Sauvignon that was a fresh as a daisy and still had another decade to go. When this wine was released it was a real cheapie, it’s a pity they don’t make them like this anymore, in fact it’s a damn shame they discontinued this wine. It was a favourite of mine for more years than I can remember. 

 

We also consumed a Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon (from memory 1992) that was OK but starting to look a bit tired.

 

The 1992 Binders Bulls Blood was a most enjoyable wine and is a very food friendly drop. In my opinion this wine consistently is one of the better GSM blends around and is a vastly overlooked wine in the Veritas portfolio. If it stays that way I will keep being able to afford it.

 

From there on in the night got a bit hazy as it had been a long day (note, I am not blaming the wine consumption) so it was time to head back to the motel and hit the sack as Thursday was going to be another big one with back to back appointments all day. More next week in Chapter Six.