Torbreck Vintners - 2025 Releases mixed cases (6x75cl)

The 2025 collection contains one bottle of the following

2023 The Struie
2023 The Steading 
2023 The Gask
2022 The Descendant 
2022 The Factor
2024 Steading Blanc

2023 Torbreck The Struie
19.5/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"The 43% Eden fruit in this wine is blacker than a century-old inkwell, and while it is not the dominant portion of this Eden/Barossa amalgam, but by God it makes itself heard in this wine.  I love the way that as every year passes, individual wines, presumably because of an infinite number of decisions going their way, end up playing themselves into legendary contention.  It is impossible to predict which label will take the top spot on the podium, and it is not always the rock star wine with the fattest prices that comes away with the biggest praise.  In the challenging 2023 vintage, The Struie has, and I have whispered His name in this piece before, the presence of a deity in the glass!  It is clearly one of the greatest Torbreck wines of all time, and it is most definitely my favourite Struie.   Bring value for money into the equation, and this wine is in contention for finest value, bang for the buck, and flavour for moolah Shiraz on Earth.  The nose is a great big signpost saying, ‘this way’, and the palate is a hint lighter and gentler but altogether genial and balanced, like a philosopher with a good back catalogue of side-splitting one-liners.  Experts will fall off their chairs while tasting this wine, while newcomers will feel spectacularly welcome.  It’s a slice of eminently affordable luxury, and you’d be mad not to take advantage of it today."

2023 The Steading
18/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"Open and unfurled, this is an arrestingly attractive The Steading, and it is drinking right….NOW.  While the Mourvèdre slice is spicier than usual, with a nice gritty traction that keeps the louche Grenache from slip-sliding away, the overall stance on the palate of this crowd-pleaser is of an unabashed performer, yearning to be poured and adored.  Keep the mighty 2022 in your cellar and allow this loveable rogue to leapfrog it today!"

2023 Torbreck The Gask
19+/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"Where on earth has this wine come from? There is an answer! It comes from a single plot on the eastern flank of Mount McKenzie, and it is lovingly tended by the Hearnden family! Sixty-three years old in 2023, this wine is an outlier in the Torbreck portfolio because it is more of an anti-fruit missile than a Shiraz-soaked diva. It is macho, bitter, unyielding, verging on masochistic and utterly drop-to-your-knees gorgeous. The liquorice, smoke, crushed blueberries and sour rhubarb highlights skirt around a vault of cold, dark earth, and the core is unyielding and awesome! It sits in tame one-year-old oak that dares not converse with its contents for fear of all-out war! The oak is merely a convenient container for this warrior-like liquid to gather its thoughts before it breaks free and is then cunningly coaxed into the bottle. The iron spine is all but visible through the glass, keeping this wine stiff, upright, proud, and powerful in the bottle. And when it is poured, stand back. This is easily the most brocaded and resplendent The Gask of all time, with ravishing raw silk texture and dark chocolate cake dust coating. I am in awe of this wine in the glass, and there is every chance it will snatch another half-point from my fist to add to its towering 19 if I look away even for the briefest moment."

2022 The Descendant
19.5+/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"I have long held a candle for Descendant, as this wine is often my top of the pops.  I usually approach new vintages with a mix of trepidation, anticipation, and wonder.  I need not worry, as the perfume is nothing short of angelic.  8% Viognier seems to add more sexiness and tantalising eroticism than usual, and there is a sense of glamorous weightlessness on the mid-palate that makes the sheer volume of flavour seem all the more improbable. The fruit glides across the palate, aerial, enchanting, and blackcurrant-soaked, and while this is a stunningly intense wine, there is not one iota of excess flesh.  We all know that Descendant is a direct relative of RunRig, but generations evolve and always do something different and amazing. In 2022, this Descendant is a soaring triumph."

2022 The Factor
19.5/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"The Factor is a sensationally complex wine in 2022, and this time, microscopic ball bearings of spectacular flavour pin-ball around the palate, gathering glorious flavour-static and releasing it asunder.  This is a thrillingly energetic wine, pulsing with tension, electricity, and profoundly attractive Shiraz fruit notes.  There are few young wines as handsome and polished as The Factor, and this is one of the most forward and immediately impressive releases in memory."

2024 Torbreck The Steading Blanc
18.5/20 Points - Matthew Jukes
"The only white in the lineup, this fabulous blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier is terrific, with a rare degree of balance for a wine of this style. It sports the merest hint of new oak, which is used exclusively for the Viognier (2%) portion. In addition, the Marsanne is rewarded with second-fill oak, while the main body of the wine, the Roussanne (53%), retains its linear flanks and tension by remaining in stainless steel. The soil moisture from the wet 2023 vintage provided this wine with an early-season boost, and nature took care of the rest. The cool tones and impressive bounce of energy make this a wine that defies its recipe while retaining a thoroughly modern air. This is a fascinating RMV that does not require a main course dish to be anchored alongside it to find admirers. It is bright and edgy enough to be enjoyed before the menu has even been perused, which makes it both clever and delicious”.