Torbreck The Struie Shiraz 2021

Torbreck is a winery on a mission to become one of the world’s great wine brands. Since 1994, they have remained committed to creating exceptional Rhone-style red and white wines that reflect the very best vineyards in Australia’s famous Barossa region. Provenance is everything to them, and they believe that the Barossa is the most exciting place to make wine in the world. With a European sense of tradition, Torbreck pays tribute to the vineyards with minimal intervention, creating wines of richness, structure and length that age gracefully. The multi-generational growers, whose descendants arrived here nearly two centuries ago, are the backbone of Torbreck’s winemaking aspirations. They work in partnership with the people of the Barossa who grow their fruit, always aiming to get the very best out of their vineyard sites. At Torbreck, they constantly seek to understand the difference between all of these special places in the Barossa and how this combination of soil, climate and farming experience is reflected in unique grape flavors. They are simply custodians, enhancing the innate expressiveness of the wines and enabling them to reveal over time their individual origins and personality. Torbreck is actually named after the forest near Inverness, Scotland where the winery’s founder, David Powell worked as a lumberjack after completing university studies. The winemaking style at Torbreck is meticulous and dedicated to producing exceptional wines. They use carefully selected 225-litre oak barriques for maturation, known as Dominique Laurent ‘Magic Casks’. The oak is personally harvested from Forêt de Tronçais in Allier, and the staves are aged for 48 to 54 months at an exposed location for maximum seasoning. The staves are then hand-made into barrels and heated over three differing flames for several hours, resulting in a gentle toast due to the remarkable density of the wood. Torbreck’s winemaking style reflects their commitment to producing exceptional wines that reflect the unique terroir of the Barossa region. The name Struie originates from a mountain in the rugged highlands of north-east Scotland, which overlooks Torbreck forest near Inverness. The view from the Struie down across the Dornoch Firth is as inspiring as that of the Valley floor from the Barossa Ranges. 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 skilful blend of fruit from a single vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz and old vine Shiraz from the Barossa Valley’s Western Ranges – a marriage of elegance and intensity. The Torbreck The Struie Shiraz 2021 is an exceptional wine that embodies the best qualities of the Barossa and Eden Valleys. This vintage is very firm and young, promising great potential for aging and development. It displays an abundance of lifted black and blue fruits, including blackberry, blueberry compote and a delightful touch of milk chocolate. The wine’s complexity is further enhanced by the influence of granite and schist soils found in the Eden Valley, which contribute to its graphite and mineral-like characteristics. These nuances add depth and intrigue to the overall profile. On the palate, The Struie Shiraz 2021 exhibits a full-bodied and silken textured mouthfeel. The plushness of fruit is evident, with the black and blue fruits taking centre stage. The ripe Shiraz tannins are full yet soft, coating the mouth with a velvety smoothness that is both inviting and satisfying. The oak influence in this vintage is barely noticeable, allowing the true expression of the fruit to shine. With some additional time in the bottle, the oak presence will further integrate, revealing the wine’s density and the freshness of its fruit. This wine is a fantastic pairing for a variety of dishes. While it can be enjoyed upon release, for those seeking the full potential of this wine, it is recommended to wait until 2024-2035. This extended aging will allow the wine to further evolve, revealing additional layers of complexity and ensuring an even more rewarding experience. Torbreck The Struie Shiraz 2021 is a wine of tremendous potential. With its firm structure, lifted fruit flavors and subtle nuances from the Eden Valley soils, it promises a memorable drinking experience both now and in the years to come. The 2021 The Struie is 100% Shiraz from both the Barossa (57%) and the Eden Valley (43%), and it matured for 18 months in French oak (20% new). The proportion of Eden Valley inclusion is usually around 25%, but in 2019, it was down to 10% due to the very low yields. So, this 2021 Struie is blue-fruited on the nose, with blueberry, licorice, black tea, crushed rocks, summer raspberry, layers of campfire embers and clove. It might be that in many of the tasting notes from 2021, that the wines outperform previous vintages. This is because