| 2008-06-24 21:14 |
IWC: By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July/August 2007, Issue #133
(Torbreck Vintners Descendant Barossa Valley) ($105; 92% shiraz with 8% viognier) Bright purple. Intensely spicy aromas of black raspberry, cherry, cocoa powder and Asian spices. Inky and youthfully brooding, with powerful dark berry liqueur flavors, velvety tannins and a building impression of graphite. Tightens with air but not at the expense of its wonderfully lush, deeply concentrated fruit and sexy spices. 93 points |
| 2008-06-24 21:14 |
WA: The 2005 Descendant is composed of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier which are co-fermented. The fruit is sourced from a relatively young vineyard in Marananga planted with 11-year-old cuttings from the Run Rig vineyards and aged for 18 months in 2.5-year-old French barrels previously used for Run Rig. Opaque purple, with glass-coating glycerin, it offers up a complex array of lavender, violets, blueberry, blackberry, and fresh road tar. Full-bodied, on the palate the wine has great concentration with a noticeable uplift from the Viognier, gobs of spicy black fruits, opulence, and well-concealed tannins which will carry this wine for 10-15 years of further evolution. Drink it through 2030.
Torbreck, under the leadership of owner/winemaker David Powell, remains a Barossa Valley benchmark as well as one of the world’s greatest wine estates. The top cuvees are limited production and expensive but there are also some outstanding values in the portfolio. With regard to the current vintages for the Barossa red wines, David Powell states “? 2004 is more savory while 2005 has more purity and definition. 2004 is more classic, 2005 will take longer to come around.”
Importer: Jon Elkins, The Australian Wine Connection, Carlsbad, CA; www.torbreck.com |