Torbreck: The New Releases
Torbreck has received five perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, including:
RunRig 2010
RunRig 2016
The Laird 2005
The Laird 2008
The Laird 2012
Join Torbreck’s Senior Winemaker, Scott McDonald,
to celebrate the release of the 2023 RunRig
…as part of a tasting of 13 Torbreck wines,
including a rare a 4 wine vertical of the The Factor - 2023 (New Release), 2018, 2016 & 2012.
…alongside the new-release Descendant,
96+ Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
96 Points, Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
…and the 2024 The Gask,
97 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Monday, June 29th
Hosted by Scott McDonald, Senior Winemaker
Masterclass: 5.30–7pm | 13 wines & canapés | $95
Dinner: 7.30–9.30pm | 13 wines and 4 courses | $225
About Torbreck
Provenance is everything to us. We believe the Barossa is the most exciting place to make wine in the world, with its gentle Mediterranean climate and 175 years of Silesian and English commitment to winemaking and grape-growing.
There is a European sense of tradition here that means vines planted in the 1840s – many of them Rhone varieties such as Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvédre – still thrive and bear fruit of unique concentration and flavour.
Torbreck pays tribute to these 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. Without their knowledge of the seasons and the soil, we would not have such a precious resource of fruit to work with.
Torbreck has also been fortunate to have the opportunity to invest in the protection of some of the Barossa’s most precious vineyards, after accepting fruit from them over many years. The historic Hillside Vineyard at Lyndoch, The Laird Vineyard in the sub-region of Marananga and the Greenock Keller Vineyard owned by the Schultz family, are all now under the custodianship of Torbreck.
In 2008 this long-term commitment to the Barossa was cemented when we completed our winery and bottling line, enabling us to achieve maximum quality control through 100% estate vinification, maturation and packaging.
Our latest development was the 2017 expansion of our original settler’s cottage cellar door to become an international guest centre, where we are proud to welcome our many friends and collectors from the USA, Asia, Europe and Australia.
Torbreck has achieved a lot in less than three decades, but the journey is a long way from complete. In fact we remind ourselves every day that the best Barossa grapes are yet to be picked and the finest Torbreck wines are yet to be made.
We invite you to join us on this road to perfection.
Pete Kight, Proprietor, torbreck.com
What the critics say…
The Torbreck new releases are always an exciting suite of wines to taste through, as they straddle a delicate line: they are true to their traditional Torbreck roots—the very thing that made the brand famous—in that they are lusty, powerful, full-throttle wines that represent the power and density that the Barossa (and Eden, where relevant) is capable of. However, they do so with a measure of grace and elegance. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate April 2024 It’s 30 years since cult winery Torbreck was established in the Barossa – and plenty has changed in that time, from ownership to viticulture and winemaking. Through it all,
however, the central ethos of expressing the quality of some of the oldest vines on the planet remains. The Drink Business March 2024 …Torbreck is still a powerhouse of impactful old vine Barossa reeds, but it is the detail and nuance in the wines that is seeing it enhance its already shimmering reputation.
Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion October 2024.
About Scott McDonald
Born and raised in the Barossa Valley, Scott McDonald has spent his entire career immersed in the region's wine culture. After gaining experience across cellar, vineyard and nursery operations at Yalumba, Scott joined Torbreck in 2005 as a cellar hand, beginning a journey that would see him become one of the Barossa's most respected winemakers.
Over the following years, Scott broadened his experience through multiple harvests in California's Sonoma Valley, refining his understanding of premium wine production in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. His dedication and winemaking talent were recognised with a promotion to winemaker in 2010, before being appointed Senior Winemaker in 2018.
Working alongside Chief Winemaker and General Manager Ian Hongell, Scott oversees all aspects of winemaking at Torbreck. During his tenure, Torbreck has earned five perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for The Laird and RunRig, helping cement the winery's reputation as one of Australia's most acclaimed producers of Shiraz and Rhône-inspired wines. More than two decades after joining the winery, Scott continues to play a key role in shaping Torbreck's internationally acclaimed portfolio and its pursuit of excellence in the Barossa Valley.
Torbreck Steading Blanc MRV 2024, Our Price $39
The 2024 The Steading Blanc is a composition of Roussanne (63%), Marsanne (28%), and Viognier (9%), and the wine is equal parts floral, chalky phenolics and preserved citrus fruits. It has a burst of fresh saline acidity in the mouth, and the wine seems a perfect fit for the soils of the Barossa. The fruit is from the Descendant vineyard on Roennfeldt Road, first planted in 1994. This is very good...
94 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2025)
94 Points, JamesSuckling.com (Apr 2025)
93 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Nov 2025)
Torbreck Marsanne 2024, Our Price $48
The 2024 Marsanne leads with white chocolate, star anise, fennel, pineapple lumps and white flowers. It's ultra pretty and engaging its purity and distinction. The wine has so much personality, and it might be the birdsong wafting in through the open window as I type, but the wine has dappled detail and harmony that is most pleasing. A delight...
93 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2025)
Carnarvon white asparagus, hollandaise
Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles GMS 2024, Our Price $26
Deep ruby in the glass, with plush fruits-of-the-forest berries, black cherry compote, violet florals and baking spices on the nose. Silky and supple, with chewy tannins that grip through to the close. Always a reliable over-deliverer.
93 Points, Melissa Moore, The Real Review (May 2026)
91 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
Torbreck The Steading 2024, Our Price $29
The 2024 The Steading is complex and full of flavor but not weight on the palate. This is a wine that shows ripe, dense fruit, with blood plum, pomegranate, blackberry and dark chocolate in profusion, alongside notes of licorice, clove and star anise. This is very good and has fine tannins. This is a blend of Grenache (50%), Shiraz (30%) and Mataro/Mourvedre (20%). There is sweet fruit on the mid-palate…
93 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
Torbreck Les Amis Grenache 2023 (Pre-Release), Our Price $213 The 2023 Les Amis Grenache is the highest in elevation of the three single-vineyard Grenache vineyards. It is planted on bluestone and ironstone gravels in clay soils, and the vines were planted recently—some time in the 1980s. The vineyard is exposed and the soils shallow, so the vines work hard here. In the mouth, this is spicy and medium-bodied, with an attractive freshness that has nothing to do with the ripeness nor, upon questioning, the pH or total acidity, as the numbers relate pretty similarly to the other Grenache wines on the bench. The cooler, wetter season may play a part. In short, this is a lovely wine!
94 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
Torbreck Les Amis Grenache 2018 (Museum Release), Our Price $213
The 2018 Les Amis Grenache is a thing of great beauty. It is intense and powerful, yet it has a freshness and levity that makes it most appealing. The Les Ami vineyard is on top of a hill with bluestone and ironstone in abundance; the fruit forms in tightly packed, small bunches and is defined by its structural tannin profile. That is evident in the final wine, but in this vintage, it is also couched in the red-fruited exuberance of the year. This is gorgeous. There are notes of sumac, paprika dolce and sandalwood alongside pomegranate and raspberry…
96 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Sep 2025)
96 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion (Jan 2021)
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (May 2022)
Roasted mushrooms, curd, almond XO
Torbreck The Gask Eden Valley Shiraz 2024, Our Price $81
The 2024 The Gask hails from the Eden Valley—one of my favorite places in this beautiful region—and it leads with graphite, jasmine tea, blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate and shale. The fruit from here brings with it a shiny polish, a glittery sort of profile, while being underpinned at all times by a profusion of earthy, savory tannins. I love this contrast that this growing area can provide. It has power and detail, freshness and depth. This is excellent...
97 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Mar 2026)
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2023 (New Release), Our Price $137
Torbreck The Descendant Shiraz Viognier 2023 (New Release), Our Price $137
The 2023 Descendant is a single-vineyard wine composed of co-fermented Shiraz (96%) and Viognier. The vineyard was planted in 1994 for Torbreck, and the old cuttings used for the planting were from great old heritage blocks around the district. Aromatically, the wine is classically Descendant—meaty, floral, savory and earthy, with mineral tannins and sandalwood as well. There is a fresh juniper character alongside the dark fruit. The intensity of tannin endures long beyond the flavor. The cool season has birthed a wine of great concentration and length, which demands time…
96+ Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
96 Points, Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review (May 2026)
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Mar 2026)
Torbreck RunRig Shiraz Viognier 2023 (New Release), Our Price $314
The 2023 RunRig came from a cool, wet and late season, and the wine tastes so clearly both like RunRig and like 2023. It is savory and dense, powerful and concentrated, and the 1% Viognier (added, not co-fermented) contributes a gentle sway of flowers and dried apricots to the mix. This is a wonderful wine, one that ages with grace and ease. Last year, I did a vertical of the RunRig back to the first vintage, 1996, and the wine revealed itself to be sensitive to vintage variation yet true to its regional sourcing and identity. The fruit for this wine comes from six old-vine vineyards in the Barossa, each chosen for its textural, structural and flavor attributes...
97 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
Duck Bisteya, parsley salad
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2018 (Museum Release), Our Price $164
A pristine nose of ripe and intense blackberries, blueberries and redcurrants, as well as some sanguine, rust-like notes. This is an excellent edition of The Factor. I like the power and focus this wine delivers and, in 2018, it is a wine of great length and presence. Abundant ripe blackberries bathe the palate…
98 Points, JamesSuckling.com (May 2021)
…Blackish crimson. The nose manages to have tarry notes but to suggest enormous smoothness. Gosh, on the palate it's almost like satin! And the tannin and alcohol lightly insinuates on the finish. Hints of cassis and mulberry. And this is approachable already!!! The acidity is well judged. This is pretty smart, if you're looking for a powerful, quintessentially South Australian red – though the price indicates it's fit only for special occasions. Luxurious.
17/20, Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2021)
96 Points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Jun 2021)
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Feb 2021)
95 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion (Jan 2021)
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2016 (Museum Release), Our Price $164
Dark fruit with iodine, muscle shell and hints of coal on the palate. Full-bodied, very tight and structured with steely tannins that give incredible length and poise. The greatest Factor I have ever tasted. Driven and brilliant...
98 Points, JamesSuckling.com (May 2019)
…Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes long, with terrific energy and drive. It should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines from this lineup.
97 Points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Mar 2019)
97 Points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (Sep 2019)
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz Magnum 2012 (Museum Release), Our Price $475
The fragrance and poise of the 2012 Factor shiraz are exciting. This is arguably the best they've made with fine, complex spices and tar. Some toasty oak asserts itself but doesn't dominate and there's a tarry, black-fruit element with some graphite. This has richness and balance. Super-concentrated blackberries and sweetly spiced plum-fruit flavors combine with fine tannins. Very dense, super fresh, muscular, lithe, sturdy and assertive. This has all the makings of a modern Barossa classic…
96 Points, JamesSuckling.com (Jan 2015)
95 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (Jun 2015)
95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Jun 2022)
95 Points, Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review (Jun 2022)
94 Points, Halliday Wine Companion (Jan 2015)