One of the world’s most influential wine publications The Wine Advocate has awarded a perfect score of 100 points to Torbreck’s 2012 The Laird in its latest August-September 2017 edition.
Retailing at $750 a bottle, The Laird is in the top three or four most expensive wines in Australia. It was launched in the 2005 vintage and is sourced entirely from the ancient Laird Shiraz Vineyard near Marananga in the Barossa.
Wine Advocate Editor-in-Chief and Australia/New Zealand critic Lisa Perrotti-Brown praised The Laird for its persistent length and structure.
Deep garnet coloured with a touch of remaining purple at the rim, the 2012 The Laird is one of those wines you could just go on smelling all day. It opens with a complex perfume of kirsch, dried mulberries, blackberry tart and spice cake over cloves, mocha, dusty earth, incense, star anise, yeast extract and aged beef. The full-bodied palate is drop-dead seductive, unfurling in the mouth to reveal exotic spice, meat, earth and berry preserves layers, supported by firm, velvety tannins and seamless acid. The finish seems to go on forever – and this exactly what you want it to do. Stunning. 100 Points - Drink 2019-2039
Perrotti-Brown said 2012 “was a dry, sunny, faith-restoring vintage for Barossa and Eden Valley growers; there were no extreme heat episodes (as occurred in 2008 and 2009) and only a few patches of benevolent rain, though nothing close to the deluge of 2011. The styles and signatures from 2012 are back to those generous flavours that we all know and love, but it is clear that winemakers learned a thing or two from 2011 and crafted their wines with a new-found courage for forging elegance, while working with the intensity that warmer vintages and regions naturally want to give.”
Torbreck General Manager Peter Perrin said the review was a fantastic recognition of the historic Laird vineyard in the Barossa and the winemaking team.
“There have only been six vintages of The Laird and three have scored 100 points – the 2005, 2008 and now the 2012,” he said. “This is a good news story for Australia and the Barossa recognising that Barossa Shiraz is one of the best wines in the world.
“We are seeing a resurgence of interest in Australian wines from US consumers and this acknowledgement comes at an important time as Wine Australia is focussing on North America as a premium fine wine destination over the next five years.
“We’re also delighted that Lisa Perrotti-Brown awarded 98 points to our 2015 Torbreck Les Amis and 97+ points to the 2014 Torbreck Run Rig.”
Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. started The Wine Advocate in 1978. It now has more than 50,000 subscribers, in every state in the United States, and in over 37 foreign countries. It is generally regarded as one of the most significant influences on the serious wine consumer’s buying habits not only in America, but France, England, Switzerland and China.
According to The Wine Advocate 96 to 100 points are awarded to “extraordinary wines of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety.”