The Laird

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. 

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.