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. A bottle that redefines what power and precision can coexist as.

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.
— 2 days ago

Steve Goore

9.0

What’s Durif? Loved the combo with Australian Shiraz. Red and blackberry and cherry with a touch of oak and smoke. This was quite the fruit bomb with mild tannins and medium body. Please sir. . . I want some more. — 11 days ago

Jan de Weerd

9.0

We had the battle of the Shiraz at our family gathering over Christmas. A Shiraz from South Australia and South Africa. Both 2016. This Shiraz, despite from the Adelaide Hills where I think it is a little cooler, was very rich, very bold and broad and a slight jammy note on the edge perhaps. People liked it, but all the votes when for the Shiraz of Cederberg from South Africa. Fun!!! — a month ago

with Tammy

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.
— 2 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.

Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.

Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.

Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.

🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 2 days ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.8

Another bottle off my bucket list.
First time tasting a Grange so nothing to compare it to, no idea how it compares to another vintage but it was definitely unique. I can’t think of anything I could compare it to. I didn’t want to lose the flavors by having food with it, just enjoyed through out the day and seeing how it developed. My rating might be high since I’m a rookie Granger. Latest review from Decanter

99
Decanter
Review Date: 02/2025
Read All Reviews
Mint, cream and distant woodsmoke on a cold day combine on this supremely fragrant, intense and pure nose. Ripe, dark fruit has flushed completely with that cool sense of mint and the creaminess of American oak, just as the tannins have fused completely, presenting a serene, elegant flow that creates a gorgeous aromatic unity. This comes with magnetic, gravitational pull that draws you in; close your eyes and you are in Australia. A wine of immense finesse and elegance, of immense youthfulness and expression at 35 years of age. Wow! (AK)

@Bob McDonald @Somm David T @Ron R — a month ago

Sam Friedland

9.1

Very nice Shiraz, reminds me CNDP-rhone valley. — 5 days 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!! — a month ago

with Tammy

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。 — a month ago

ESF

9.5

Happy New Year — a month ago