Torbreck Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx with Special Guest Matt Lane

"You have only so many bottles in your life, never drink a bad one."
-Len Evans

One of the reasons that I get out of bed in the morning is to drink wines like Torbreck Run Rig.  So when our good friend Matt Lane called to see if we would be interested in drinking some with him I immediately cleared my calendar for Thursday, January 21st.  Matt is Master Sommelier and we have had several chances to break bread with him while wearing his Penfolds hat so we were glad to see him land at another one of our favorite Australian wineries Torbreck located in the Barossa Valley.

Torbreck got started when a lot of smaller brands come to the US in the mid 1990’s and there was tremendous interest in wines from the land down under.  Since the market crashed in 2008 many of these smaller wineries from Australia have fallen by the wayside and very few have survived in the $100+ per bottle price range but the Run Rig from Torbreck is still turning out one 99 point score after another.  They have not only weathered the storm but Torbreck has a worldwide demand today and several of their tiny production wines have scored nearly perfect numbers from various members of the wine press.

Join us as we taste through a dozen different wines from this landmark winery along with a special five course tasting menu prepared by Chef Oliver Saucy and yes all this for around the price of one bottle of the current release of Run Rig!   This event is limited to 24 people and the fee for this dinner is $125 per person + tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Torbreck Tasting at Cafe Maxx with Special Guest Matt Lane MS
Thursday, January 21st
7:pm

Pass arounds
Lump crab philo purses
Grilled shrimp with arugula pesto remoulade
Tellagio crostini with dried fruit

2014 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa Valley, ‘Woodcutters’ Semillon

Semillon has always found a natural home in the Barossa. It was one of the early white wine grape varieties planted by the first settlers around 160 years ago and so the Barossa is blessed with a heritage of old, low yielding Semillon vineyards. At Torbreck, Semillon is fermented in both stainless steel and seasoned French barriques. Torbreck Woodcutters Semillon is not unlike the white wines found in the central and southern regions of France. This is due largely to the use of the Madeira (more robust and pink skinned) clone of Semillon, grown widely in the Barossa Valley.

Although not typically lemony, this wine exhibits more complex aromas of smoked almonds and honeysuckle as well as buttery textures from the natural malolactic fermentation. The palate displays a spicy mineral flintiness with exotic fruit flavours.

First Course
Pappardelle pasta & pan roasted veal tenderloin, Italian Sausage, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, grilled Portobello mushrooms, Reggiano, roasted garlic demi glace & fresh thyme

2013 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa Valley, ‘Cuvee Juveniles’ Unoaked GSM
Price: $20.25    Sale $17.82    Case $207

Juveniles is a 'cult' Parisian wine bar run by eningmatic ex-pat Englishman, Tim Johnston. He's been in Paris more than twenty years and is a passionate promoter of the Rhone Valley and it's wines, particularly individualist, quality minded producers. Torbreck founder David Powell hit it off with Tim over the years, eventually making a wine exclusively for his wine bar in 1999. In keeping with Tim and David's love of Rhone Valley varietals and the fact that they are equally at home in the Barossa, the blend constitutes old-vine Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and Shiraz and was elevaged entirely in stainless steel.

Second Course
Yellowfin tuna on toasted sour dough with golden split peas and bacon braised Swiss chard with leeks

2011 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa Valley, ‘The Steading’ GSM
 Price: $33.00    Sale $29.04    Case $337

The Steading is perhaps the most important wine within the Torbreck portfolio, the one that best exemplifies what Torbreck is all about. It is sourced from vines that survived the vine-pull scheme in the early 1980s, cultivated on their own roots that were unaffected by phylloxera. It also best explains the serendipitous discovery of some withered ancient vines, some well over a century old, that have been carefully nurtured back to life. Protecting and nurturing the old vine resources of the Barossa Valley is paramount to Torbreck and this wine, more than any other is an indication of what is possible from the now protected ancient Barossa cultivars - Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz.

The Steading is sourced from our own vineyard estates as well as from growers on a share-farming basis, totalling 45 different sources of fruit, all vinified separately and blended once their individual virtues have been assessed. The Steading’s generous and supple flavours combined with its silken texture are a rewarding and very versatile choice with all types of cuisine.

2012 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa, “The Struie” Barossa / Eden Valley Shiraz
Price: $54.75    Sale $48.18    Case $559

The Eden Valley lies within the Barossa Range and consists of river valleys and undulating hills covered with large gums, rocky outcrops and Aboriginal sites. It is a high-altitude area of between 400 and 500 metres, compared with the Barossa Valley's elevation of 200 to 300 metres. This higher altitude, with its (one to two weeks) later ripening pattern, results in more distinctive varietal flavour characteristics, lower pH and higher acidities. Whilst the Eden Valley region is most associated with the white wine variety, Riesling, it produces elegant, tautly structured Shiraz which is highly prized by winemakers.

This Torbreck Shiraz cuvée from the cooler climate, higher altitude vineyards of Eden Valley is skillfully blended with fruit from Barossa Valley which traditionally provides greater richness and intensity. A blend of 44 year old Eden Valley Shiraz vines and 80 year old Barossa Shiraz, The Struie is aged for 18 months in a combination of old and new French oak barriques prior to bottling.

Third course
Three peppercorn seared breast of duck with blackberry natural sauce parsnip, shallot & double cream brie gratin

2012 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa Valley, “The Factor” Shiraz

Our homage to the great old Shiraz vines of the Barossa Valley and the growers who painstakingly tend and nurture them each year. The Factor displays the concentration & fruit purity that only the most meticulous farming can achieve. Delicate scents of wild blackberries, pipe smoke and pepper are supported by a dark core of espresso roast, black currants and coal. The palate offers tremendous texture and combines great richness with subtle notes of olive tapenade, saddle leather and minerals.

Brooding and densely packed, this majestic wine has the constitution to cellar for many years where it will slowly unravel its extravagant riches. The reputation of the Barossa as the pre-eminent red wine growing region of Australia rests firmly on wines such as this.

2006 Torbreck Vintners, Barossa Valley, “The Factor” Shiraz Magnum

(94+ Points) The purple/black 2006 The Factor is 100% old-vine Shiraz from the esteemed Greenock sub-region of Barossa Valley. It spent 24 months in 30% new oak. The aromatic array of balsam wood, smoke, pepper, espresso, blueberry, and licorice is eye-opening. This leads to a rich, glossy, full-flavored Shiraz with layers of succulent fruit, ripe tannin, exceptional spiciness, and a lengthy, pure finish. It will evolve for another 8-10 years and will have a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2036. Torbreck, under the leadership of owner/winemaker David Powell, remains a Barossa Valley benchmark as well as one of the world’s leading wine estates. The only cloud on the horizon concerns the winery’s ramped up production during a period of economic hard times.  Wine Advocate #181, Feb 2009

Fourth course
Smoked and seared prime NY Steak, rosemary roasted russet potatoes porcini and olive roasted mushroom medley with prosciutto

2012 Torbreck Vintners “RunRig” Shiraz / Viognier Barossa Valley
Price: $135.00    Sale $118.80    Case $1377

The RunRig has often drawn comparison with the beautifully fragrant & tautly structured wines produced from the steep slopes of the Northern Rhône Valley’s Appellation of Côte Rôtie.

RunRig, although wonderfully aromatic, is a wine that exhibits so much power and latent richness that it could easily be mistaken for the hugely concentrated wines sourced from the sun drenched hill of Hermitage (the historic home of Syrah and some of the worlds most powerful and longest living wines).

Possessing a dense, saturated, almost ink like hue, the aromas of black raspberries, crème de cassis, smoke, graphite and melted tar soar from the glass. Full bodied with great intensity, amazing freshness and extraordinary concentration, the multi-layered palate displays the fruit purity that only the most fastidious farming can achieve.

2007 Torbreck Vintners “RunRig” Shiraz / Viognier Barossa Valley

(98 Points) Co-fermented with a splash of Viognier, the 2007 Run Rig gives a very deep garnet-purple color and a perfumed nose of warm cassis, crushed blackberries and blueberries over anise, cassia, cloves, tea leaves, rose hips plus earthy hints of black truffles and tilled loam. The full-bodied palate offers rich, ripe but not over-ripe fruit with a taut structure of firm grainy tannins and crisp acid, finishing very long with a gamey / savory character coming through with some cedar and baking spices. Not a style to be broached too early, consider drinking this from 2015 to 2025+.  Wine Advocate #192, Dec 2010

2012 Torbreck Vintners Les Amis Magnum

Sourced from the devigorated soils of western Seppeltsfield, Les Amis is a testament to what only the most fastidious farming can achieve - purity, intensity and finesse.

Possessing a dense, saturated ruby/purple hue the 2012 Les Amis flaunts the concentration, poise and panache of which only the greatest terroirs are gifted.  Delicate scents of Chinese five spice, smoke, white flowers and roasted herbs precede a dense, brooding core of black cherry, coal and scorched earth.

Revealing a savoury elegance in its youth, the 2013 Les Amis will continue to build in complexity for many years to come.

2006 Torbreck Vintners Les Amis Magnum

This unique parcel of Grenache, sourced from an old vineyard, has successfully endured eighteen months maturation in new French barrique.  Sourced from the devigorated soils of western Seppeltsfield,  Les Amis is atestament to what onlythe most fastidious farming can achieve purity, intensity and finesse.  Possessing a dense, saturated ruby/purple hue the Les Amis flaunts the concentration, poise and panache of which only the greatest terroirs are gifted.

Delicate scents of Chinese five spice,smoke,white flowers and roasted herbs precede a dense , brooding core of black cherry, coal and scorched earth.  The  well delineated palate offers tremendous texture and combines glorious fruit purity with subtle nuances.  Multi-dimensional and incredibly intricate, the wine finishes with crisp acids and a cloak of beautifully ripe, polished tannins.

2012 Torbreck Vintners Monopole ‘The Pict’ Mataro

(91 Points) Made from 100% Mataro, the 2012 The Pict has a deep garnet color and aromas of anise, dusty earth, new leather and dried herbs over a core of crushed blackcurrants and dried plums. Full-bodied and voluptuously fruited in the mouth, it packs in the dried berry characters with just enough earthiness to lend interest, supported by chewy tannins and ample freshness. It finishes long with a pleasant herbal lift.  eRobertParker.com #219, Jun 2015

Dessert
Mixed berry and pear fruit tart with ice cream and orange Anglaise sauce

2011 Torbreck The Bothie Muscat Barossa (375ml)
Price: $18.75    Sale Price: $12.00

Yes we are drinking all of the wines above this evening!!   That is a total of 12 different wines!!!  This event is limited to 24 people and the fee for this dinner is $125 per person + tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

A bit about Torbreck Winery

Torbreck Vintners was founded by David Powell in 1994. The roots go back to 1992 when David, who was then working at Rockford, began to discover and clean up a few sections of dry-grown old vines.

Near lifeless, he nurtured them back to health and was rewarded with small parcels of fruit that he made into wine. David was able to secure a contract for the supply of grapes from a run-down but ancient Shiraz vineyard.

He managed to raise enough money to share-farm the vineyard, a practice which involves paying the owner a percentage of the market rate for his grapes in return for totally managing the vineyard.

This share-farming principle has enabled Torbreck to use fruit from the very best vineyards in the Barossa Valley, which is home to some of the most precious old vines in the world.

In 1995 David crushed three tonnes of grapes and fermented them into wine in a shed on his 12-hectare Marananga property. He named his wine 'Torbreck' after a forest in Scotland where he worked as a lumberjack.

The Torbreck endeavour is based around the classic Barossa Valley varietals of Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro, and a love for the wines of France's Rhone Valley.

Torbreck doesn't only make red wines though, they have Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne planted on their winery block which they have blended to make a white wine.

In July 2002 the historic Hillside property was acquired by Torbreck. Situated in Lyndoch, it is one of the original Barossa properties. Vast and picturesque it contains some magnificent old and ancient vineyards that will further their source of premium quality fruit. The Hillside property contains a wonderful native ecosystem that supports a myriad of flora and fauna. Plans are underway to restore Hillside to it's former glory and create wines to reflect the history and significance of this grand old property.

In June 2003 at the finish of vintage, Torbreck opened their cellar-door for sales.   An original settlers hut, it has been lovingly restored and provides a personal touch and some Barossa warmth whilst you taste these incredible wines. It is open daily and the Australians as some of the most warm and welcoming of any wine country that I have vistied.

A new winery and administration facility was completed in 2008 on land acquired from a next door neighbour. This enables Tourbreck's grapes to be made into wine using the best available equipment and then bottled 'on the estate' using their own bottling line. Tourbreck now has complete control of all aspects of production that sees a new benchmark of wine quality established by this now iconic winery from the Barossa Valley.

In 2008 Torbreck Vintners was acquired by Pete Kight. Pete has wine interests in both the U.S. and Australia and is committed to ensuring the ongoing excellence of Torbreck wines. He truly believes that Torbreck's best wines are yet to come.