Torbreck’s venerable old Barossa Valley vines forge bright, balanced Shiraz of undeniable charm. Famous for its complex layers, rewarding power, full-bodied intensity, and beautiful cellaring prospects, Torbreck’s RunRig has rightfully earned its ‘Exceptional’ status in Langton’s Classification. To celebrate the highly-anticipated release of the new 2019 RunRig, we are offering a rare and exquisite six-vintage vertical showcasing 2014–2019. Due to the scarce volume of the new vintage, this bottling and pack are strictly limited, with only 100 verticals made – 50 available via the Torbreck cellar door, and 50 exclusive to Langton's members. Displayed in a specially designed and individually numbered wooden case, this is seriously special.
In each vertical, you'll receive one bottle of each of the following:
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2014
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2015
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2016
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2017
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2018
1x Torbreck RunRig Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2019
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Run Rig opens with a bang, delivering intense fruits of the forest and blackberry preserve notes with hints of sandalwood, cardamom, dried Provence herbs, Indian spices and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and oh, so satisfying, the beauty ticks all the great Barossa Shiraz boxes and then some. It is still relatively primary, so I’d recommend giving it another 2-3 years at least in bottle and drink it over the next 20+.
97+ points, Wine Advocate (September 2017)
Who would've thought that in the context of Barossa Shiraz, the 2015 RunRig would seem like a relative bargain? It's certainly much less expensive than Grange or Hill of Grace will be when they're released. It's also more approachable in its youth, with enormously appealing aromas of grilled fruit, savory complexities and rich, velvety tannins. Of course, it's full-bodied and concentrated, with the stuffing to age for up to a couple of decades, and it has a long, licorice-tinged finish. Winemaker Ian Hongell, who joined Torbreck from Peter Lehmann, may not have made this wine, but he deserves a lot of credit for the blending and finishing of this tour de force.
98 points, Wine Advocate (March 2018)
Destemmed, open-fermented, 7 days on skins, matured for 30 months in French barriques (50% new) before blending trials determined 2% of viognier be blended in. One of the classic Torbreck wines, with the added benefits of the '15 vintage. It is a gorgeously deep pool of supple, mouthfilling/watering fruit flavours (impossible, I know, but it is). Seduction clinically confronts and comforts the consumer. Black fruits, licorice and a shaft of dark chocolate, plus oak, do the business.
97 points, Wine Companion (February 2018)
A blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier made just prior to bottling, the 2016 RunRig is a complete masterpiece. It kicks off with elegant notes of pencil shavings accenting blueberries and blackberries on the nose, then shows incredible, palate-staining intensity of fruit in the mouth. It's full-bodied, plush and velvety without being unstructured and manages to be fruit-forward yet savoury on the long-lasting finish, where it picks up hints of mocha and black olives. This should be drinkable with pleasure throughout its entire two-decade life (it may live longer from cold cellars or in larger formats), but if I were lucky enough to have a bottle or two, I'd try the first one about 10 years out.
100 points, Wine Advocate (March 2019)
As usual, the 2017 RunRig is approximately 2% Viognier. It spent almost 30 months in oak, 40% of which was new. Hints of peach or apricot appear on the nose, alongside notes of hickory smoke, cherries and baking spices. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and silky enough to seem lighter in the mouth, showing tremendous length and elegance on the finish, where it adds nuances of cinnamon and cocoa.
98 points, Wine Advocate (November 2019)
Torbreck's 2018 RunRig needs a bit of air right now, as the nose and palate truly open up and expand after a while in the glass. Unlike some vintages, it's rather tight and cedary upon first pour, then relaxes to reveal hints of stone fruit, blueberries, cherries, pastry crust and baking spices. In the mouth, it's full-bodied and concentrated, richly textured and marked by ripe tannins, which leave behind a velvety, mouth-coating finish tinged with licorice and dark berries. While approachable now—and even damn enjoyable—it deserves another several years in the cellar. Drink the 2018 Descendant while waiting.
99 points, Wine Advocate (July 2021)
Tightly wound yet with cashmere tannins, soft kid-glove oak and cut-finger minerality. The anise, clove and cinnamon-edged palate is unbelievably svelte, like melted chocolate. On day two, succulent, spicy cherry fruit emerges, with blackberry liqueur, roses and violets. Savoury cep undertones, graphite and cedar follow through on an endless finish. A stunning blend of six old vineyards, one planted in the 1850s.
99 points, Sarah Ahmed, Decanter (July 2021)
With 1.5% viognier. Sourced from 6 vineyards across the Barossa Valley. Aged for 30 months in French oak (50% new). Impenetrable purple red in the glass, with layers of dense dark plum and blackberry fruit of considerable purity and heft. Notes of blackforest cake, Old Jamaica chocolate, cedar, turned earth, crème de cassis and kirsch. Big, bold and balanced with a velvety flow, firm fine tannin and long dark finish of warmth and classic Barossan fruit weight.
96 points, Wine Companion (February 2022)
Very deep, dense colour with black tinges and the bouquet is very oaky and super-ripe, with black olive notes, coffee grounds, very dark chocolate too, and rich fruitcake that's full of dried fruits. It's not as fresh as it could be, but the wine is awesomely concentrated and muscular, there is a thickness to the texture and chewiness to the tannins that pervades all else. Oak tannins as well as skin. A massive wine that needs more time before I would drink it. Concentration and warmth, and stand-a-spoon-up-in-it density. Cellar!
95 points, The Real Review (April 2022)
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
David Powell, a former lumberjack turned winemaker, established Torbreck in 1994. Since then, the tiny winery operation has grown exponentially, buoyed by the success of its highly opulent and perfumed wines. Torbreck sources fruit from a myriad of dry grown low-yielding vineyards located on the western ridge of the Barossa Valley and as far south as the Jacob’s Creek area. These include established century-old vineyards. It either share-farms or has full vineyard management control, ensuring optimum fruit quality, ripeness and flavour development. The wines are batch vinified in open fermenters and vinification incorporates a palette of winemaking options including pre-fermentation cold soak, extended maceration, partial whole bunch fermentation, warm and cooler ferment regimes and regular pumping over.
