There's no denying the power and concentration of Torbreck's 2013 The Laird. The fruit is impressive, the oak luxurious, the texture velvety... Complex notes of baking spices, licorice and pepper add nuance to the Christmas-cake flavours and somehow emerge savoury on the long finish. It's a wonderful wine... 97 points, Joe Czerwinski (2018).
Very deep, dark red colour with a purple tinge and a density that stains the glass. Very oaky, smoky, toasty and bitumen aromas, tar and graphite, a very Marananga-area style. Mocha, coconut, espresso coffee and cocoa powder too. Oak is very evident. It's concentrated and weighty, powerful and tannic, with density and commanding presence. It needs years for the oak to mellow in fully. The tannins are abundant and gently chewy but never astringent, the finish long and harmonious. A really superb Laird. (From the 2ha Laird vineyard in Marananga, which Torbreck now owns. Three years in new Dominique Laurent barrels.) 97 points, Real Review.
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
David Powell, a former lumberjack turned winemaker, established Torbreck in 1994. Since then, the tiny winery operation has grown exponentially, buoyed by the success of its highly opulent and perfumed wines. Torbreck sources fruit from a myriad of dry grown low-yielding vineyards located on the western ridge of the Barossa Valley and as far south as the Jacob’s Creek area. These include established century-old vineyards. It either share-farms or has full vineyard management control, ensuring optimum fruit quality, ripeness and flavour development. The wines are batch vinified in open fermenters and vinification incorporates a palette of winemaking options including pre-fermentation cold soak, extended maceration, partial whole bunch fermentation, warm and cooler ferment regimes and regular pumping over.
