Jeroen Koenen

9.4

On the nose I get spectacular dark fruit and spices, on the palate not so much: notes of graphite, licorice, grilled bacon, cocoa nibs, coffee grounds, charcoal and black olives show up.
LW5 is mainly from vintage 2015 and 2014, with a splash (14%) of 2013 and 2012; only 4955 btls made.

PS: even better on day 2! — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Torbreck The Descendant Shiraz–Viognier 2022
Barossa Valley, South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A seductive, Rhône-inspired blend of approximately 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier, showcasing aromatic lift, silkiness, and elegant power. The Descendant leans into finesse and perfume while retaining serious Barossa depth, delivering a beautifully polished expression that feels expressive, vibrant, and effortlessly compelling.

Aromas & Flavors
Lifted floral aromatics of violet, lavender, and rose petal lead, followed by ripe red and black berries, dark cherry, blueberry compote, and hints of baking spice and white pepper. The palate is silky and layered with juicy fruit, subtle savory notes, gentle cocoa, and a lingering floral-driven finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with a supple, flowing texture and refined tannin structure. The Viognier brings brightness and aromatic tension, keeping the wine lively, polished, and graceful despite its natural richness.

Food Pairings
Herb-crusted lamb rack. Duck breast with cherry or plum glaze. Grilled pork tenderloin. Moroccan-spiced lamb tagine. Semi-firm alpine cheeses or aged sheep’s milk cheeses.

Verdict
Elegant, aromatic, and beautifully balanced, this is a wine that highlights the sensual side of Barossa Shiraz while preserving depth and complexity. A compelling, refined expression that offers immediate pleasure and excellent aging potential.

Did You Know?
The Descendant follows the Côte-Rôtie tradition of co-fermenting Shiraz with a meaningful portion of Viognier, enhancing aromatic intensity, mouthfeel, and freshness while maintaining structural integrity.

🍷 Personal Pick
A stunning wine that delivers perfume, polish, and charm in every glass. An exceptional expression for those who love Rhône elegance layered onto Barossa generosity.
— 5 months ago

Sage Shimoda

9.3

My first wine of 2026 is 2012 Amon-Ra by Graetzer Barossa Valley Unfiltered Shiraz. We had a Japanese sukiyaki dish paired with this wine. A flavor that evokes a sense of majestic energy. Smooth texture with a long finish. Nice.

2026年最初のワインは、グレツァー・バロッサ・バレーの2012年アモン・ラ・ノンフィルター・シラーズ。このワインには日本のすき焼きを合わせました。雄大なエネルギーを感じさせる味わい。滑らかな口当たりで余韻が長く続きます。素晴らしい。 — 6 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.3

Incredible wine! Deep purple color- almost inky. Aroma of blackberries, cassis, vanilla and violets. Black fruit on the palate, plum, baking spices with a lovely finish.

🏅96 Points - Wine Spectator
🏅95 Points - Wine Advocate — 9 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Wow… this is a wonderful Ozzie Shiraz in that typical, oldfashioned, high-octane, push-the-pedal-to-the-metal personality.
Beautifully aged, showing a mahogany rim plus great secondaries and tertiaries over the still abundant baked plum and blackberry goodness. I’m talking smoked meat, sweet licorice candy, cocoa nibs, caramel, black pepper and olives, espresso, damp forestfloor and BBQ sauce. Delicate hints of orange zest, uplifting balsamic acidity and soft yet palpable tannines make this quite a bold but very classy drink!
Deep, dark and dense. Last bottle of a sixpack and easily the best. Terrific!

I also like the clever, tongue-in-cheek message on the backlabel: “Your wish is our Command” 😁 — 10 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Delectable - this is the Valley Floor not the Steadfast Shiraz. Inky dark Ruby red in colour, almost black. Very oaky - like aromas of freshly sawn wood. Ripe plums and earth from a warm vintage and from the “Valley floor “. Full bodied. This is the Barossa Shiraz playbook which ticks all the boxes. As a footnote Langmeil owns some of the oldest vines in Australia dating back to 1847. — 4 years ago

Dave Schneider

9.3

If someone served this to me blind I’m pretty sure I’d be able to tell this was from Australia.... but in a good way. If you like a lot of toasted oak slathered in berries, this is for you. Long, long 60 second finish. It’s not 98 points but it’s very good — 7 years ago

Diane Heyboer

8.9

Had the 2021 in February of 2026. Lots of blueberry and vanilla with some spice with this one. Enjoyed this one more with food rather than sipping alone. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

10

Torbreck RunRig Shiraz–Viognier 2021
Barossa Valley, South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview: 
A monumental Barossa Rhône-inspired powerhouse blend of approximately 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier, delivering extraordinary depth, concentration, and architectural structure while retaining aromatic lift and finesse. This is Barossa at its most commanding yet disciplined, massive fruit density wrapped in precision, energy, and length. A wine that commands attention, rewards contemplation, and delivers relentless momentum from first sip to finish.

Aromas & Flavors: 
Explosive black plum, blackberry compote, cassis, and dark cherry saturate the nose, layered with violets, smoked spice, cocoa nib, graphite, and subtle savory meat tones. The palate unfolds in waves of black fruit intensity, crushed stone minerality, licorice, espresso, and warm spice, finishing long, deep, and persistently resonant.

Mouthfeel: 
Full-bodied, muscular, and impeccably structured with commanding tannins that feel polished rather than aggressive. Immense mid-palate density is balanced by freshness and lift, creating a sense of power without heaviness. The texture is authoritative, layered, and built for long-term evolution.

Food Pairings: 
Dry-aged ribeye or wagyu. Slow-braised lamb shank with rosemary and garlic. Venison with black cherry reduction. Smoked brisket. Aged hard cheeses such as Comté, Manchego, or aged Gouda.

Verdict: 
A truly elite expression of modern Barossa Shiraz, concentrated, complex, and unapologetically serious while remaining beautifully balanced and energetic. This is a reference-point wine that delivers immediate impact and exceptional cellar potential.

Did You Know?: 
RunRig is sourced from some of Barossa’s oldest and most revered Shiraz vineyards, with Viognier co-fermented in the traditional Northern Rhône style to enhance aromatic complexity, texture, and freshness.

🍷 Personal Pick: 
This wine completely captured my heart 100%, layered, commanding, and dangerously irresistible. One of those bottles that makes restraint impossible and reminds you why great wine can be genuinely emotional. A true benchmark experience.
— 5 months ago

Ross Bathgate

9.3

Opened after Xmas lunch as we needed a follow up to the Black Shiraz. Did not disappoint. Mature and soft with all the lovely spice and dark fruit of the basket pressed. Lovely. — 6 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A perfect balance between oak and fruit (blackberry) from this Barossa Shiraz. Great winemaking from John Duval who has quite the CV. John was Chief Winemaker at Penfolds from 1986 until 2002 being only the 3rd custodian of Penfolds Grange after Max Schubert (creator of Grange) and Don Ditter. In 2020 this wine received Shiraz of the Year and 99 points from the James Halliday Wine Companion. The product of old vines in the Barossa. Luscious but in balance and overall - delicious. — 8 months ago

Doug Powers

9.1

Ripe, redfruited, earthy southern Rhône-style blend, smooth and rich, medium-long finish, needs a few years of cellaring, very nice!! — 2 years ago

with Jim

Bob McDonald

9.5

Sparkling Shiraz is a tradition on Christmas Day in Australia and is a great match with Roast Turkey and Baked Glazed Ham. A foamy mousse amongst the dark Ruby red colour. Aromas of blackberry plum and spices. A wonderful palate - sweet and rich with soft velvety tannins. Plenty of life and freshness with red and black fruits. Just plain delicious. My only bottle sadly and I hope I have the willpower to leave my 2004 until next Christmas. These Rockford Blacks are rare birds even in Australia. Disgorged 2002. Postscript: Only purchased in mid 2020 from a private cellar. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Lots of mint on the nose (69% Cabernet Sauvignon; 31% Shiraz) together with blackberry. On the palate plenty of drive and power in this Cabernet Shiraz blend - layers of fruit, oak and spice. Rich and full bodied - the perfect accompaniment for a vintage Porterhouse steak - Waygu marbelling. Oak has integrated since the tasting 5 years ago. A pity that it takes 20 years for Yalumba’s Signature red to reach its peak but probably true. Interestingly the wine is matured for 22 months in American, French and Hungarian barrels coopered at Yalumba. This was the last bottle from a dozen originally purchased. — 5 months ago

Thomas Hillskog

9.0

At peak maturity. — 5 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

Well this was the shock of the year for me. We had this exact same wine back in October 2023 with our friends overlooking the Fumina valley in the Tooronga Mnts of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. I rated a 10!!! Top of the top. Couldn’t be better. This wines launched me into orbit and it took days for me to come down. So, with such great anticipation we thought to close out a phenomenal year with another bottle. It was intense, it was super grippy, layered… but the fruit had gone and to me it was totally unbalanced. How is that possible??!! Is it me, is it the wine, what could it be? Oh well. So many more wines to explore. Happy New Year everyone!! — 6 months ago

with Tammy

Sipping Fine Wine

9.8

Dark Ruby with dark berry fruit aromas, vanilla, cedar, baking and herb spice, fruit only from Barossa Valley, aged in French oak. On the palate this wine has complex flavors of blackberry and blueberry with licorice, cacao, oak and vanilla. Fine dusty tannins, peasant mouthfeel, full-bodied, long ending with a nice earthy spice finish. Aging well, good now, has room to age! — 7 months ago

Ed Chin

9.0

Full of dark fruit and acid to keep it fresh. A touch disjointed so it needs a few years to integrate. — 10 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

Concentrated extract. Nearly pitch black in the glass. Takes an hour to come to complete expression with layers of dark red fruit of cherry and plum soaked in spice. Remained very centered on the palette and settled in a complex, layered finish. Since we have been in Australia for more than six weeks I have to use the cricket lingo: this wine was all about ‘Lane and Length’. Much, much enjoyed it. Blew my head off. — 3 years ago

with Tammy

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Very nice blue & purple fruits with just right amount of spice & pepper to pair with BBQ Ribs!

Torbreck’s entire line up top to bottom is rock solid.

It wasn’t the game outcome we were looking for but, congratulations to Andy Reid & the Kansas City Chiefs. — 6 years ago