2019 Torbreck RunRig Shiraz Viognier 750ml

Torbreck RunRig Shiraz pays tribute to the Highland clans’ communal RunRig system by blending Shiraz from historic dry-grown vineyards with a touch of Viognier. This harmonious blend accentuates the unique character of each vineyard parcel, creating a wine with complexity and structure reminiscent of Cte Rtie’s steep, aromatic wines. In essence, it’s a masterpiece that embodies community spirit and the beauty of the land.

Winery: Torbreck

Varietal(s): 98.5% Shiraz & 1.5% Viognier

Size: 750mL

Country: Australia

State: South Australia

Region: Barossa Valley

Vintage: 2019

Alc/Vol: 15%

Closure Type: Cork

Drinking Window: 2024-2042

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98 pts – “The… how to describe this… it’s like a kaleidoscopic vortex of midnight flavor (dark, dense, brooding and spicy), swirling tannins and endlessly plush length. The Viognier in this 2019 RunRig has been absorbed somehow, compressed by the warm, low-yielding vintage that birthed it. It has been pushed down into the reaches of the Shiraz, which is a very good thing, as its propensity for slinky-like bounce and spiral needs some limiting. This is insanely complex yet also balanced. Charry oak frames the wines from all sides, but like the gravity pull on the earth from the sun, the oak is drawn inexorably inward. Pretty impressive, but this wine always is. A beast unto itself, wines like this have few peers. Drink 2022-2037.” – Erin Larkin

James Halliday’s Wine Companion – 96 pts – “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, crme 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.” – Dave Brookes