New Vintage Release

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 Age Early Medieval tribe that settled eastern and northern Scotland.

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.

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.

The historic appellation of Condrieu may be no larger than a postage stamp, but various cuvées from André Perret, Georges Vernay and Marcel Guigal are some of the greatest white wines in the world. Ever since planting Viognier in the Descendant Vineyard we have strived to make a wine with similar distinction and purity to those of this famous Appellation and when exceptional vintages prevail we produce a Viognier that displays a distinctive varietal character.

It comes as no surprise to find that non-traditional Barossan varieties such as Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, have adapted as well to their new home as their red counterparts have done over the last century or so. Inspired by the rich, luscious and mineral scented dry whites of the Rhône Valley, The Steading Blanc is a traditional Rhone blend, sourced entirely from our Descendant Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road.

Cuvée Juveniles Blanc pays homage to the fresh and energetic Cotes du Rhone white blends enjoyed in the wine bars and bistros of France.  An alluring and exotic blend of Roussanne , Marsanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Viognier, these varieties are all perfectly suited to the ancient soils and temperate growing conditions of the Barossa Valley. When blended, they produce a deliciously vibrant and racy white wine - best shared with a plate of fresh caught seafood at your favourite local bistro or bar.

Fashioned with the savoury, food friendly dry whites of Southern France in mind, Woodcutter’s Semillon is the ideal tonic after a long day in the vineyard. Semillon has always found a natural home in the Barossa. It was one of the early white wine grape varieties planted by the first settlers around 160 years ago and the Mediterranean climate and careful farming has created a heritage of old, low yielding Semillon vineyards. With the use of an age-old, robust, pink-skinned Madeira clone, found mainly in the Barossa, and maturation in both stainless steel and seasoned French barriques, the Woodcutter’s Semillon is reminiscent of the savoury, food friendly white wines found in the central and southern regions of France. It is not a typically lemony Semillon, showing more complex aromas of smoked almonds and honeysuckle as well as buttery textures from the natural malolactic fermentation. 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 tribute to the foresters of this rugged high country.

You’d imagine a high country Scottish woodcutter might like a satisfying red at the days end – something rich, warming, full bodied and affordable. This wine reflects the up and coming Shiraz vineyards of the Barossa, rather than the battle hardened old vines that make up the core of our other cuvées. But like all Torbreck wines, Woodcutter’s Shiraz receives the very best viticultural and winemaking treatment. Fruit is sourced from hand-harvested and hand-tended, low-yielding vines, then open fermented and gently basket pressed before ageing on fine lees for 12 months in large format seasoned barrels and foudres. Although this wine is constantly praised for its succulence and richness, there is also a complexity and texture which is rarely found at this price. 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 tribute to the foresters of this rugged high country.

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.

The Woodcutter’s Rosé is unashamedly modelled on the fabulously rich, gloriously scented and bone dry rosés of Provence. Woodcutter’s Rosé is unashamedly modelled after the gloriously scented and bone dry rosés of Provence. Adopting this traditional French method, the juice from freshly de-stemmed old vine Mataro is ‘bled off’ after limited contact with the grape skins, with a small portion aged in well-seasoned French oak Hogsheads.