Marsanne was one of the first varieties planted to our Descendant vineyard in 1994 and the distinctive varietal aromas of this premium fruit have been subtly enhanced with barrel fermentation, creating a textured, elegant wine style. Marsanne is a key component of the Northern Rhone’s Hermitage Blanc and it’s always been our intention to showcase this varietal with a single vineyard expression. The exceptional purity of fruit is completely reliant on the narrow window of ‘optimum ripeness’ and each row was assessed daily in the lead up to picking.

This single vineyard, located next to our winery block on Roennfeldt Road, was planted in 1994 with cuttings taken from our RunRig grower vineyards – some of the oldest genetic vine material in Australia. When Torbreck co-fermented this “descendant” Shiraz with Viognier, it was a first in the Barossa – now we have been joined my many others, a testament to the success of this Rhone blend. Shiraz is crushed straight on top of Viognier, which has been lightly pressed for RunRig, and the blend of fruit is then co-fermented. Maturation over 18 months is in barrels that have previously been used for RunRig. View the 2017 Tasting Notes Here The deep red clay soils in this vineyard produces fruit that has a glorious perfume, a savoury flavour and a satin-like texture.

RunRig often draws comparison with the beautifully fragrant and tautly structured wines from the steep slopes of the Northern Rhône Valley’s Appellation of Côte Rôtie. Shiraz from old dry grown Barossa vineyards is blended with Viognier, complementing the strengths and complexities of these individual parcels of fruit, whilst giving the resulting wine a further dimension. Although wonderfully aromatic, RunRig also exhibits a power and latent richness making it more akin to the hugely concentrated wines sourced from the sun drenched hill of Hermitage – the historic home of Syrah and some of the world’s most powerful and longest living wines. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including this reference to the “RunRig” system of land distribution among Highland clansmen. Their widely dispersed holdings were managed communally rather than as any one farm…not unlike this complementary blend of Shiraz and Viognier making the sum of the parts greater than the whole.

The Factor pays homage to the Barossa’s unique point of difference – great old Shiraz vineyards and the growers who painstakingly tend and nurture them each year. Many of these vineyards were planted in the 19th century and because of South Australia’s far-sighted quarantine policy, were not affected by the phylloxera outbreak that ravaged the vineyards of the world in the 1880s. They survive on their own roots more than a century later as clonal time capsules. The reputation of the Barossa as the pre-eminent red wine growing region of Australia rests firmly on wines such as this. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. The manager on a highland estate is referred to as The Factor.

An enduring legacy of one of the Barossa Valley’s pioneering grape growing families lives on in this circa1850's planted shiraz vineyard. The Forebear is named in honour of those who came before, our ancestors, whose custodianship, vision and values protected and preserved these heritage vines. This single vineyard Shiraz is a testament to ancient soils and the sustainable viticultural practices of generations of Barossa farmers. Medium to full weight with lifted red fruit aromatics, balanced by the nuanced influence of restrained French barrique maturation. A timeless addition to any collection, this Shiraz promises to gracefully evolve and captivate for many years to come. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. 

As one of the most revered sites in the Barossa Valley, The Laird vineyard effortlessly showcases the power, complexity and longevity of Barossa shiraz.   In Scottish terminology, ‘The Laird’ refers to the Lord of the Manor. This south facing vineyard, nestled in the ridge between Seppeltsfield and Marananga and planted in 1958, demonstrates its unique soil structure, micro-climate and distinctive clone resulting in a wine of extraordinary power and restraint. Meticulously hand-tended, the five-acre vineyard yields low quantities of small, concentrated berries, resulting in a powerful and luxurious wine, with a dense, complex and alluring palate that can be cellared for decades in one’s collection of the finest wines of the world. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. The Laird of the Estate in Scotland is the Lord of the Manor and master of all he surveys.

Mataro (or Mourvédre as it is called in France) was once a ‘workhorse variety’ used for fortified winemaking in Australia, but is now receiving due acknowledgement as a superb varietal table wine, taking its place alongside Barossa Shiraz and Grenache. A remnant quarry is the source of this single vineyard from which the fruit exhibits a wild, rugged aroma that is reminiscent of the earthy Mataros from the Bandol region of France. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. The Picts were a late Iron AgeEarly Medieval tribe that settled eastern and northern Scotland.

The Steading is very much the heart and soul of Torbreck, the wine that exemplifies our philosophy and beliefs - protecting and nurturing the old vine resources of the Barossa Valley is paramount to Torbreck and this wine. It is sourced from Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz vines that survived the worldwide phylloxera outbreak of the 1880s, and a century later, the vine-pull scheme in the Barossa in the 1980s. The wine is a result of the serendipitous discovery of small remnant patches of withered ancient vines, some well over a century old, that have been carefully nurtured back to life. The protection of this old vine resource of the Barossa Valley is central to the Torbreck story and this wine, more than any other, is an indication of what is possible from these historic cultivars. The Steading is a collection of 45 different sources of fruit, some from our own vineyard estates as well as from growers on a share-farming basis. These precious grapes are vinified separately and blended once their individual virtues have been assessed. The Steading’s generous and supple flavours combine with its silken texture in a wine that defines what is possible only in the Barossa. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including The Steading, a traditional name for a farm and its collection of barns, stables and outbuildings.

The Eden Valley, the cooler region to the east of the Barossa Valley, consists of river valleys and undulating hills covered with large gums, rocky outcrops and Aboriginal heritage sites. It is a high-altitude area of between 400 and 500 metres, compared with the Barossa Valley’s elevation of 200 to 300 metres. This higher altitude and 1 to 2 weeks later ripening pattern results in more distinctive varietal flavour characteristics, lower pH and higher acidities. While the Eden Valley region is most associated with the white wine variety, Riesling, it also produces elegant, tautly structured Shiraz which is highly prized by winemakers. This Torbreck Shiraz cuvée is a skillful blend of fruit from a 40 year old Eden Valley Shiraz vineyard and an 80 year old Barossa Shiraz vineyard – a marriage of elegance and intensity. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including Struie, which is a 157 metre high mountain in the rugged highlands of north-east Scotland. The view from the Struie down across the Dornoch Firth is as inspiring as that of the Valley floor from Eden Valley.

This single vineyard, located next to our winery block on Roennfeldt Road, was planted in 1994 with cuttings taken from our RunRig grower vineyards – some of the oldest genetic vine material in Australia. When Torbreck co-fermented this “descendant” Shiraz with Viognier, it was a first in the Barossa – now we have been joined my many others, a testament to the success of this Rhone blend. Shiraz is crushed straight on top of Viognier, which has been lightly pressed for RunRig, and the blend of fruit is then co-fermented. Maturation over 18 months is in barrels that have previously been used for RunRig. The deep red clay soils in this vineyard produces fruit that has a glorious perfume, a savoury flavour and a satin-like texture.

The Harris vineyard, planted to Grenache in 2002, celebrates the traditional bush vine growing methods of the Barossa Valley pioneering grape growers. This single site Grenache comes from the Harris Vineyard located in Marananga on the western ridge of the Barossa Valley. Grown as bush vines in iron stone rich brown loam and clay soils the resulting wine is highly expressive with fragrant aromatics, tension and balance. A bush vine is a grapevine without a trellis and is pruned to form a “goblet” shape, to separate the bunches of fruit. Low to the ground these vines benefit from the warmth of the earth to create an ideal ripening condition. Grenache is best suited to this bush vine growing technique because of the upright orientation of its shoots. At the heart of this wine is a soft plump cherry fruit core and soft mouth coating tannins. The bouquet offers sweet raspberries and ripe cherry, further lifted with a complex array of black pepper, violets and liquorice.

Grapes grown at our historic Hillside property, located in the southerly Barossa sub-region of Lyndoch, are typified by lifted aromatics and fine tannins - highly expressive and impeccably balanced. This exceptional single vineyard Grenache comes from the most southerly owned Torbreck vineyard in the Barossa Valley, the Hillside vineyard. Located just north of the township of Lyndoch on the gentle westerly facing high slopes, this historic property was one of the very first settled in the 1850's. Acquired by Torbreck in 2002 its ancient buildings and vineyards are being brought slowly back to life. The soil composition comprises of mostly dark red clay scattered with shale, quartzite and ironstone. These dry grown bush vines are always low yielding and consistently produce outstanding fruit. This unique parcel has all the bright, opulent fruit characteristics that we look for in dry grown Grenache combined with a seamless tannin profile due to a partial whole bunch fermentation. The rich, luxuriant fruit is further enhanced by barrel maturation in a French oak Foudre barrels, which perfectly balances the wine style we were looking to achieve.

The Hillside Vineyard is one of the principal vineyard estates fundamental to the Torbreck collection of Barossa Valley vineyards and wines. The Hillside vineyard was established near the town of Lyndoch in the south western corner of the Barossa Valley in 1849 by the Springbett family. The first vines were planted in 1850 to Shiraz and Grenache and by 1860 two generations of the Springbett family had built a small winery, the second to be established in the region. Within a decade the property was a fully operation winery and cellar producing single estate wines, one of the first of its type in the Barossa Valley. Torbreck acquired the property in 2002 and set about resurrecting the old vines, planting new vineyards and restoring the charming historic ironstone buildings. Along with old vine Shiraz and Grenache there are blocks planted to other Rhone varieties such as, Counoise, Carignan, Mataro, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Marsanne. Due to our success in co-fermenting Shiraz and Viognier, we thought it would be interesting to co-ferment the skins from Roussanne with Shiraz. We selected a Shiraz vineyard in Lyndoch that gave us the perfect structure and purity of fruit to balance the aromatics of the Roussanne. Once the juice was gently whole bunch pressed from the Roussanne grapes, the skins were added to the Shiraz and co-fermented. The resulting wine is as unique as it is intense; beautifully lifted and balanced and surprisingly distinctive.

All Torbreck wines rely on great terroir and great viticulture, but the third and equally significant quality factor is the time when the fruit leaves the vineyard – the picking date. This is particularly true for Mataro, where patience is required to ensure physiological and flavour ripeness is achieved, regardless of the sugar levels in the fruit. This restraint is rewarded with dense, wild and completely rounded wines made from fruit that has reached the optimum stage of flavour development. The climate in the Barossa Valley is perfectly suited to achieving this level of ripeness and is a place where we truly believe some of the best Mataro wines in the world can be made. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including this reference to the wild and hardy Kyloe or Highland cow.

Purity, intensity and finesse – Les Amis is a testament to the persistence of our expert, multi-generational, grape growers and what the greatest terroirs can impart. Grenache has been a stalwart variety of the Barossa for more than 150 years, ideally suited to the Mediterranean climate and ancient soils. Sourced from the revigorated soils of western Greenock, the concentration, poise and elegance of this single vineyard Grenache is perfectly balanced and characteristic of this unique terroir. Les Amis translates from the French as The Friends.

RunRig often draws comparison with the beautifully fragrant and tautly structured wines from the steep slopes of the Northern Rhône Valley’s Appellation of Côte Rôtie. Shiraz from old dry grown Barossa vineyards is blended with Viognier, complementing the strengths and complexities of these individual parcels of fruit, whilst giving the resulting wine a further dimension. Although wonderfully aromatic, RunRig also exhibits a power and latent richness making it more akin to the hugely concentrated wines sourced from the sun drenched hill of Hermitage – the historic home of Syrah and some of the world’s most powerful and longest living wines. Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including this reference to the “RunRig” system of land distribution among Highland clansmen. Their widely dispersed holdings were managed communally rather than as any one farm…not unlike this complementary blend of Shiraz and Viognier making the sum of the parts greater than the whole.