| Region of production: | South Australia |
| Winery Location: | Barossa Valley, Barossa Zone |
| Year Established: | 1994 |
Vineyard Holdings
- Share-farmed plots across Barossa Valley and three vineyards in Eden Valley
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- RunRig Shiraz: Named for the Highland clan’s land distribution system. Produced from 120-160 year-old vines. Blended with Viognier prior to bottling. Inaugural vintage 1995.
- Descendent Shiraz: Produced from a single vineyard planted in 1994 from RunRig cuttings. Co-fermented with Viognier. Aged in 2nd use barrels for 18 months.
- The Laird Shiraz: Irish for the „Lord of the Manor.“ Produced from one of the original Barossa Shiraz clones.
Average Total Production
- 840,000 bottles
Summary
Former Torbreck Vintners proprietor and winemaker David Powell started the winery after working at Rockford Wines in 1994. Powell began production by share-farming old Shiraz vines. Named after a forest in Scotland where Powell worked as a lumberjack, the winery focuses entirely on Rhône varieties, including Grenache, Mataro, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier. They are best known for their flagship wine, RunRig Shiraz, as well as Descendent, their single vineyard Shiraz. Despite financial difficulties that caused him to sell in 2002, Powell continued as winemaker and managing director at the winery. Powell reacquired the estate with American businessman Pete Kight in 2008, and transitioned winemaking to Craig Isbell (hired by Powell in 2006) while remaining the face of sales and marketing. In 2013, Powell left the company to work on future ventures with his son. Torbreck has since increased their estate vineyard holdings, though they continue to share-farm with many growers in the region. News of the purchase and Dave Powell’s departure has been varied and controversial. As a result, the wines are worth following in the coming years to see if the style remains true to Powell’s original style.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Reds are destemmed and basket-pressed before a week-long fermentation in open-top concrete vats. Oak used for aging is sourced from Dominique Laurent in France. New oak is kept in check, typically not exceeding 50% even for top wines. Lots are aged separately until final blending before bottling, which is done without fining or filtration.
Producer Website: Torbreck