Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2010
Dense purple almost black in the glass. The nose is both fragrant and perfumed with dark chocolate, liquorice, cinnamon and spice. On the palate, it is intergrated and refined with a core of powerful black fruits being carried through the whole length of the palate. Put simply, this is a truly stunning wine that shares more in common with wines 3-4 times the price. Is it a testament to the 2010 Barossa Valley vintage or to Mr Torbreck, David Powell? Personally I think it is a combination of both. A throwback to those great old Penfolds reds that offered both quality and value at a reasonable price. 94 points Anthony D’Anna
VARIETAL: 100% Shiraz
SUB-REGIONS: Marananga, Greenock, Ebenezer, Gomersal, Moppa, Lyndoch & Kalimna.
HARVEST: Late March through early April 2010
pH: 3.81
TA: 5.67g/L
ALCOHOL: 15% Alc/Vol
FERMENTATION:
Like all wines in the Torbreck stable, the fruit is sourced from hand harvested and hand tended plots throughout the Northwestern Barossa Valley. It is fermented in our cement, wooden and stainless steel vats for 6-7 days and then basket pressed to well seasoned hogsheads and French oak foudres for 12 months. It is bottled without the use of either fining or filtration.
The name Woodcutter's stems from when David Powell spent several years working in the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack or woodcutter in the Torbreck forest. Like all Torbreck wines it's sourced from hand harvested and hand tended, low yielding vines. It is then open fermented and gently basket pressed, and aged one fine lees for 12 months in large format seasoned barrels and foudres.
Although this wine is constantly praised for being succulent and rich - perhaps the best feature of this wine is it's complexity and texture which are rarely found at this price.
