The Wine Advocate | Erin Larkin | September 2025
While tasting the new-release Torbreck wines with winemaker Ian Hongell in Western Australia earlier this year, I asked him if we shouldn’t do something fun, like open every vintage of RunRig ever made. If you’ve met Ian, you’ll know he has the habit of lighting up on a good idea, so he laughed and said, "Yes! Let’s do it." Fast forward to several false starts later, and I am once again in Barossa in the pits of winter—Barossa gets properly cold like you wouldn’t expect, given its capacity for heat in summer—faced with the super fun and self-imposed task of tasting lots of wines.
The Torbreck vertical here was the reason for traveling to Barossa during this week, and so it was with great anticipation that I embarked upon a full vertical of the RunRig—the Shiraz-Viognier wine. While there, I was also able to taste the Les Amis and the Hillside Grenaches, in keeping with the broader context of the Grenache-focused article at hand. The notes for the RunRig wines speak for themselves; but suffice to say, the winemaking team spans a litany of great producers, starting with Dave Powell, the founder (established 1994), and bracketed with current winemaker Ian Hongell and his long-serving team of winemakers (namely Scott McDonald, present at the tasting and there for around 20 vintages) and the viticultural team led by Nigel Blieschke. Torbreck is a groundbreaking producer for more reasons than just attracting and holding the attention of global wine critics and steadfastly loyal collectors, it has also been somewhat of a breeding ground for greatness. This includes names such as Dan Standish (Standish Wines), Kym Teusner (Teusner Wines), Craig Isbel (Isway Wines), Fraser McKinley (Sami-Odi) and Russel Burns. The list is impressive, to say the least.
On-hand the day of this tasting were the current analyses for the wines, and where the numbers were relevant, they have been included in the notes. Suffice to say, the alcohol, pH and total acidity levels vary widely over time, as do the expressions of the wines in each vintage. My favorites were the early wines for their charm and their deliciousness, however this is undoubtedly aided and abetted by their age, which had worn down any edges and had rendered them elegant. I have no doubt that this is where the young wines will go in time, but if you have any old bottles of RunRig, I'd advise drinking one—not out of necessity, as they have plenty of time left in them, but because they are lovely wines to drink.
This tasting was every bit as interesting and insightful as I’d hoped, and while it was a big afternoon of tasting, 37 wines by the end, it was also energizing. Great wines in great hands.
96
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 1995
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 1995 RunRig leads with cocoa, clove, roasted meat and tapenade. It has leather and autumn leaves, and on the palate, the core of fruit here is silky and fresh. It's a nostalgic wine that time has rendered elegant and medium-bodied. This was the first RunRig made, and it is holding beautifully, with a decade or more left to go. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 1996
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 1996 RunRig is fresher and redder than the 1995 tasted alongside; here, the fruit tends toward pomegranate, blood and raspberry, cocoa, sweet bone marrow and dried rose petals. Texturally, this is an incredibly seductive wine. It starts silky and a little slippery, then the tannins build through the palate, and once the fruit has gone, the tannins remain yet feel chalky and pliable. It's a textural feast. The wine is labeled at 14.5% alcohol, though a recent analysis proved it to be 14.17% alcohol; and interestingly, the 1996 also has the lowest pH of all the vintages ever made, at 3.27, with a total acidity of seven. It is so fresh. Sealed under natural cork.
94
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 1997
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 1997 RunRig is meatier and more substantial than the 1995 and the 1996 tasted alongside. 1997 was a hot, dry year, and the wine shows that heat in its density and weight in the mouth. However, the palate is fresh, and the acidity is pronounced; despite it, the fruit feels in step with it all. There is harmony here. The tannins are chalky and finely wrought, and the length of flavor spools out through the long finish. This remains firm, and it will be this way for some time. 14.3% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 1998
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 1998 RunRig is in the vein of the 1996 in terms of graciousness and elegance. The 1998 vintage was a heralded season, and the wine expresses that pedigree, regardless of the reviews. The wine is superb. There are notes of cocoa and sweet bone marrow, star anise and pomegranate molasses. Layers of sumac and garden rose emerge through the finish. Interestingly, during all the tastings at Torbreck today, there have been similar flavor characters emerging in the wines, which speaks to me of the consistency of house style. The quality across the board has been impeccable. Here, this 1998 is every bit as good as the vintage was lauded to be. It comes highly recommended. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
95
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 1999
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 1999 RunRig concludes the 1990s decade for this wine (1995–1999 inclusive), and what a decade it was in the world of wine and particularly in this case Australian wine. Torbreck broke through global markets on the praise of this very publication, and it brought positive attention to the Barossa and, by extension, Australia. Here, the 1999 RunRig exemplifies the quiet strength of the 1999 vintage, especially when tasted side by side with the great 1998. Today, the 1998 is singing, and one can't compete with a wine when that happens; however, this 1999 is no slouch. It has notes of blood plum and star anise, sumac, paprika dolce and sumac. The finish is fine—soft, even. This translates to elegance and subtlety. 14% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
95
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2001
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
No RunRig was made in 2000. The 2001 RunRig features six single vineyards, an increase from the two or three that went into the RunRig wines from the 1990s. The nose is more restrained than the previous wines, and the palate is as well, with an undeniable power that surges through the finish. This is tightly wound and closed for the most part, with length that continues long after the wine is gone. This bodes well for its future. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2002
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2002 RunRig comes from a very cool/cold year in South Australia, and I am informed that the 2002 had very high malic acidity, an attribute shared by the 2022 vintage, to post a more recent comparison. Aromatically, this 2002 leads with blood plum and mulberry, dark chocolate and roasted meat. In the mouth, the acidity feels pronounced, however the analytics show very normal numbers for pH (3.59) and total acidity (5.94)—numbers that the winery would aim for in today's wines. The wine is outrageous in its freshness and comes highly (highly) recommended. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
92
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2003
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2003 RunRig is from a hot year. It was an interesting string of vintages: 2001 was hot and dry, 2002 was cold, and 2003 was a return to 2001-like conditions. Aromatically, the wine leads with the heat of the seasons, in the dark plum pudding, date, licorice, roasted meat and tar. In the mouth, the wine is dense, meaty and savory. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
99
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2004
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2004 RunRig essentially typifies everything I love about the 2004 vintage in Barossa. It has energy and focus, softness where it matters and length above all. The texture of this wine on the palate is superb—silky, seamless, long, gracious. This is balanced, harmonious, sensational. That's about all that needs to be said about this. It is absolutely excellent and aging slowly. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
93
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2005
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2005 vintage in Barossa was very good and remarkably unremarkable in that nothing went wrong—the wines produced have proven to be lovely, and it breaks the rhythm of the even vintages being the superstars. The 2005 RunRig echoes some of the characters of the 2003 vintage, with plum pudding, date, dark chocolate and roasted meat. The finish is powerful. It closes strong, showing the wine has a long future ahead of it. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
94
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2007
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2007 RunRig is from a hot year aligned with 2001, but not as hot as 2003. The 2007 vintage was the start of three drought years in Barossa Valley. The wine leads with roasted meat and sumac, star anise, clove and dark chocolate, while the palate follows with the same characters. This is is both fresh and powerful, with a big presence on the palate. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
94
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2009
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2009 RunRig has no Viognier in it—the only one in the lineup—and incidentally, this bottle I am tasting today has been sealed under screw cap. The decision to exclude Viognier came at the time because the fruit was deemed floral and lifted enough without the addition. Today, the wine certainly has delicacy and floral character that fits with the style of the cuvée, however it is certainly quite different from its peers. Texturally, the screw cap closure has tightened the tannins, which remain closed and tightly wound. The thinking around reds under screw cap is that, with time and air, the wine will gain the textural softness that a natural cork can provide. The answer might be a little more nuanced than simply, "cork over screw cap" (or vice versa). Screw-cap liners and quality differ widely, and producers can select their preference based on desired outcomes (measured oxygen ingress being one). What if the screw-cap wine won't unfurl, even given the time? We can't know the answer until more time has passed. So, we shall see. For now, this is incredibly fresh and tightly coiled. The majority of the 2009 vintage was sealed under natural cork, as are all the other vintages of this wine; the screw-cap closure accounts for less than 5% of the total, as a trial. The difference this wine exhibits in this lineup is touted (in this room today) to be due to closure, not varietal cepage. 15% alcohol.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2010
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2010 RunRig is superb and gracious. Powerful but finely wrought tannins support supremely elegant fruit. There are notes of sumac and cocoa, mulberry, pressed flowers and clove. This is fresh, harmonious and seamless, in line with the characters of 2004, 2002, 1998 and 1996. It's a massive wine, but it's balanced; and the alcohol is surprisingly not a thing—despite being very much of a thing analytically. 16% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2012
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2012 RunRig is silky and seamless, akin the 2010 tasted alongside. RunRig was not made in the 2011 vintage, due to the cold and wet conditions (which did suit some varieties, and some terrific wines were made). Aromatically, the wine is all about garden roses and tapenade, roasted meat and sweet summer tomatoes. This is a beautiful wine. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
97
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2013
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2013 RunRig is entirely fresh and marks a significant point in the aging evolution of this cuvée. Now 12 years from harvest, the wine shows youth and vitality, alongside a cavalcade of tertiary characters. This is the point at which one can stand and look both into the future (of what this wine will look like as an older wine) and see its past, too (i.e., what the wine looked like in its youth). These precipice vintages are important to mark, and in the context of the RunRig, that precipice may occur at 12 years from harvest. Aromatically, for the first time one notes raspberry, cherry, licorice, blood plum, star anise and cracked fennel seeds. There is also leather, autumn leaves and a hint mahogany, all of which merge seamlessly. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
96
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2014
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2014 RunRig is youthful and fresh, and the oak sits atop the fruit at this stage, with a coffee-ground note that is introduced to the dark berries and spice. This is a wine that should be kept for some more time, should elegance be a character you like, as the wine seems to merge seamlessly in this direction given the time to do so. 2014 was a cooler year, and the alcohol on the label is slightly higher than the analysis reveals. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
96
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2015
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2015 RunRig is dark and brooding, with tar and resin, asphalt and tapenade. In the mouth, the fruit is sweet, feathered by vanilla pod and medjool date, mulberry, blood plum and sweet licorice. The length is phenomenally long, and the future will be just as long. The wine is so closed at this stage, and yet it has all the hallmarks required for long aging. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
97
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2016
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2016 RunRig comes from a warm, dry vintage that was responsible for red wines of great power and presence. The rain that feel during this season was remarkably well timed at all points. Aromatically, the wine leads with all its inkiness and power: saturated raspberry, black cherry, pomegranate, licorice and star anise. In the mouth, the wine has a cocoa/chocolate sweetness and thick textural structure. This is a wine of intensity and power, and stylistically, it aligns itself with the 2010 vintage. This is a rip-snorter of a wine that will age for many decades. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
95
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2017
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2017 RunRig leads with leather and pressed incense, dark berry fruit and tapenade. The palate is far lighter than the nose would suggest, offering black cherry and raspberry seed. This is finer than the 2016 tasted alongside, which has a truly weighty fruit profile in the mouth. This may perhaps lend itself to drinking a little earlier than some other vintages in this lineup. It's a lovely wine from a cold and wet vintage, perhaps not dissimilar in conditions to 2023. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
99
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2018
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2018 RunRig is perfectly eloquent of the 2018 vintage. It was warm and dry, and the reds produced both in Barossa and Eden Valleys were of very high quality. Here, the 2018 could be stylistically compared to 2016, however the 2018 offers tremendous chisel and definition of both the tannins and the nuanced fruit profile. This is a brilliantly polished and sleek wine that, while approachable and ready for drinking now, offers none of the gracious complexity that it will no doubt develop with patient cellaring. Should you wish to see the potential of this wine, plan to open a bottle in 2040. Should you feel impatient, opening a bottle now will suffice—it is very good today. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
96
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2019
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2019 RunRig hails from a hot, dry vintage, and the wine here is brooding, structurally firm and savory. The wine is thoroughly black, both in the glass and in its nature—black fruit, black spice, brooding tannins. While the 2018 may be open for business now, this should remain closed for some time yet—2030 as a minimum would be the recommendation. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
97
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2020
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2020 RunRig leads with wet asphalt and tar, licorice and blackberry. In the mouth, the wine has garden roses and pressed incense, with a core of sweet fruit that is wrapped in grainy, profuse tannin. Closed right now, but it's a magnificent wine in the scale of the releases tasted here today. 2020 will forever be the year that the world changed and perhaps the only time in the history of human civilization that all corners the world went through the same lived experience in COVID. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
99
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2021
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2021 RunRig is an impossibly bright and vibrant wine, with intense power and structure to match the impermeable fruit. Not much more can be said of this wine other than that it came from a magnificent vintage that experienced healthy winter rains in the lead up to the growing season and dry conditions throughout the growing season. The wines have been lauded, and in the case of a wine like this, it is evident why. Like the 2018 vintage, you could drink this anytime, but one would counsel patience. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
98
Erin Larkin
WINE ADVOCATE
RunRig 2022
Torbreck's RunRig 1994-2024
The 2022 RunRig typifies everything I appreciate and value about the 2022 vintage. It is silky and open, seamless and fresh. Like the 2018 vintage, the 2022 is open and available, more so than the 2021. It is so pretty. It's gorgeous. I feel it could be stylistically likened to 2004. It's excellent. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
