Torbreck

Torbreck can be found in the heart of Barossa Valley, Australia. The winery was founded in 1994 by David Powell with the aim of producing high-quality Rhone-style wines. Before long, David's wines were among the top in Australia. The winery is named after a forest in Scotland. David used to work in that forest as a woodcutter.

In the early years, production took place in an old barn. Fortunately, that changed in 2008 when the construction of an entirely new winery was completed. That same year, the winery was bought by Pete Kight, who also owns Quivira Winery in Sonoma. After working together for five years, David leaves the company.

Torbreck not only owns vineyards, but also works with several winemakers in the region. The main grape varieties are shiraz, grenache, mourvèdre (mataro) and viognier. Work in the vineyard is kept to an absolute minimum, allowing the grape bunches to grow as naturally as possible.

The portfolio includes 24 different wines, of which RunRig is the flagship. This is made from very old shiraz vines of up to 150 years old and a small percentage of viognier. Other top cuvées include: The Laird, Les Amis and The Factor. The wood ageing of The Laird takes place in oak barrels made by French winemaker Dominique Laurent. At Torbreck, they are also known as the 'magic casks'. The other wines are aged in 'ordinary' barrels of French oak. The average wood maturation lasts 18 months.

Since its inception, Torbreck has received many fantastic reviews, with RunRig standing out. This wine has an unprecedented string of Parker Points, with every vintage so far scoring at least 95 points. Thus, this wine has already been awarded 99 points eight times and the maximum score twice! These are the outstanding 2010 and 2016 vintages.