TORBRECK
BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA 2022
WHY BUY:
$43 for a 96-point Shiraz that delivers power and velvet like no other: that’s a wine to buy by the case, not by the bottle.
THE CONTEXT:
Torbreck has quietly become Barossa's most consistent overachiever, and under winemaker Ian Hongell these already impressive wines have reached a new level of care, while retaining their trademark heft and length. Today’s offer comprises 6 wines, all 96 points and above, including two 98-pointers. Points don’t tell the entire story, though, like the old-vintage vineyards and ideal growing conditions that produced them, and they also don’t tell you that for all their structure and concentration, they are ready to open now and eminently (and gloriously) drinkable.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Decanter bestowed 98 points on The Laird, describing it simply as "an immense, brooding" wine where "beauty meets the beast.” The Wine Advocate gave the same score to The Forebear 2019, the inaugural release from 12 rows of vines planted in the 1850s — an "astounding” wine with "kaleidoscopic fruit" and "monumental length.” They were nearly as enamored of the RunRig 2020 (97+ points), calling it a "sybaritic wine" executed with "detail and precision" despite its size. And just behind it is the 96+-point The Factor 2021, "a complete vision of Barossa Shiraz" that offers the seemingly impossible combination of being "both structural and inviting" while flowing "long through the finish.”
OUR TASTING NOTES:
We’ve been drinking Torbreck’s wines for years, but this collection left us genuinely stunned. The most haunting and memorable is The Forebear 2019, from vines planted during the California Gold Rush. This is depth that impresses itself upon you from the start, those 170-year-old rootstocks reaching deep into Barossa's soul to create immense structure and majesty. The Laird is a wine of enormous concentration and length, and you don’t so much drink it as give way to it. And let it take you away from the cares of the world. The RunRig 2020 showcases the magic of blending six vineyards, creating something greater than its parts, its 30 months in oak polishing rather than overwhelming it. The Descendant 2021 offers blackberry compote lifted by Viognier's floral touch and a spice-cabinet complexity that stays with you. The Factor 2021 embodies classic Barossa — it’s bold yet nimble, and displays remarkable balance. As for The Struie 2022, it delivers precision and fine-grained tannins — a veritable steal at less than $45.
THE STORY:
Imagine founding a winery in 1994 and, within a single generation, transforming it into a global icon that rivals producers with centuries of history. This is the Torbreck phenomenon, a case study in what happens when someone breaks the unwritten rules of fine wine establishment. The conventional wisdom suggests that greatness requires generations, aristocratic ownership, or at minimum, decades of patient brand-building. Torbreck upended this paradigm through a counterintuitive approach: rather than inventing something new, they looked backward, recognizing that Barossa's greatest asset — its ancient, gnarly vines that survived Europe's phylloxera disaster — had been hiding in plain sight. What's fascinating is how Torbreck's trajectory resembles other "overnight successes" that were actually decades in the making. The vines providing fruit for The Forebear were planted in the 1850s, silently accumulating complexity through 170 years of seasonal cycles. When Ian Hongell took the winemaking reins, he didn't revolutionize—he revealed what was already there, applying a finely-tuned sensibility that balances power with precision. And understanding, perhaps above all, that his job isn't to dictate terms to the vineyard but to translate what it's been trying to say for over a century and a half.
FUN FACT:
The founder of Torbreck was not an oenologist or the scion of a winemaking family, but a lumberjack named David Powell. The estate's name itself comes from a forest in Scotland where Powell once worked as a woodcutter. A rather humble beginning for what has become one of Australia's most prestigious wine producers.
OUR GUARANTEE:
As always, we only buy and source directly from the estate, so rest assured – your wines will arrive in your hands with pristine provenance. Secure your bottles today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Fall 2025. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. The price reflected on your order form is subject to change after the order is placed in the event of a change in tariffs or taxes that are imposed by the U.S. government, or in the case of currency fluctuations of 10% or greater. Offer not valid in GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, NE, NY, OK & TN. This offer is valid for TWO WEEKS, or until sold out, and will expire on Sunday, June 1st, 2025.