-
98
/ 100
James Suckling -
97
/ 100
James Halliday's Wine Companion -
97
/ 100
The Wine Advocate -
95
/ 100
Vinous
Red
Classification
Shiraz
Variety
2016
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
South Australia, Barossa Valley
Region
14.5%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
98 / 100"Dark fruit with iodine, muscle shell and hints of coal on the palate. Full-bodied, very tight and structured with steely tannins that give incredible length and poise. The greatest Factor I have ever tasted. Driven and brilliant. Better after 2021."
- James Suckling
97 / 100
"Deep and densely coloured; full-bodied and rich in Torbreck style. On the first assessment the wine is indeed impressive, then impact ex tannins and alcohol hit, then a mouthful of soda water recalibrates all the black cherry, blackberry, licorice and charcuterie flavours come striding through on the mid-palate and on to the finish."
- James Halliday's Wine Companion
97 / 100
"Torbreck's 2016 The Factor incorporates what winemaker Ian Hongell calls their "most structured Shiraz, from a lot of ironstone soils." It spends two years in French oak barriques, half of which were new, so it shows hints of cedar pencil shavings and toasted coconut layered over ripe blackberries and spice. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes long, with terrific energy and drive. It should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines from this lineup."
- The Wine Advocate
95 / 100
"Deep magenta. Powerful spice- and mineral-accented blueberry and cassis aromas are complicated by suggestions of pungent flowers and incense and a hint of dark chocolate. Stains the palate with alluringly sweet black and blue fruit preserve, spicecake and violet pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of smoky minerality. Shows outstanding litheness for its power and structure and finishes impressively long and precise, with building tannins adding framework and closing grip. 50% new French oak."
- Vinous
Tasting Notes
Many of these vineyards were planted in the 19th century and because of South Australia’s far-sighted quarantine policy, were not affected by the phylloxera outbreak that ravaged the vineyards of the world in the 1880s. They survive on their own roots more than a century later as clonal time capsules.
The reputation of the Barossa as the pre-eminent red wine growing region of Australia rests firmly on wines such as this.
Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. The manager on a highland estate is referred to as The Factor.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity
- Smooth
- Complex