2003 | Torbreck | The Descendant

The 2003 is an exceptional release perfumed with blackberries, cassis, liquorice and tar. It is elegant, powerful, rich, and just about everything one could want in a full-throttle, beautifully balanced dry red wine.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Primarily Shiraz with a tiny dollop of Viognier, the blockbuster 2003 Descendant spent 18 months in used French oak (barrels that were previously used for Torbreck’s flagship cuvee, Run Rig). A spectacular perfume of flowers, blackberries, cassis, licorice, and honeysuckle is followed by an unctuously textured, full-bodied red displaying a seamless integration of wood, tannin, acidity, and alcohol. With elegance, power, richness, and just about everything one could want in a full-throttle, beautifully balanced dry red wine, it will drink well for 12-15 years.

• Wine Spectator: Finely honed, focused and brilliant in flavor, with that distinct twang of fruity spice from Viognier adding a welcome lift to the dark berry, sloe plum and dried apricot flavors that linger expressively on the long finish. Shiraz and Viognier.

Producer Information

Torbreck is a leading wine producer in the Barossa Valley region of Australia, specializing in Shiraz. It is particularly known for its powerful and aromatic flagship RunRig Shiraz (made from 120-160-year-old vines with a dash of Viognier), and The Laird, a single vineyard Shiraz that is one of the most expensive wines made in Australia. Torbreck has a large portfolio, however, and makes around 15 wines in all – predominantly based around Rhône varieties including Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. The estate was founded by David Powell in 1994 with grapes initially obtained on a sharecropping basis. The name comes from a forest in Scotland where he once worked as a lumberjack, and many of the wines also have Scottish-themed names. Torbreck has since developed its own vineyard holdings but much of its fruit is still sourced from selected growers throughout the Barossa Valley. The second vintage (1996) of the Runrig Shiraz garnered strong reviews in the highly influential US wine publication The Wine Advocate, leading to intense international interest. Since then there have been consistent annual ratings of 95-99 points in The Wine Advocate and Torbreck has been named as one of the World's Top 100 Wine Estates by US wine critic and Wine Advocate founder Robert Parker. The Laird was first made in 2005 with the intense small-berry Shiraz grapes sourced from Malcolm Seppelt's prestigious five-hectare (12-acre) Gnadenfrei vineyard. The wine made is aged for three years in thick-staved French oak barrels. The inaugural vintage and the 2008 both received 100-point scores from Lisa Perotti-Brown in The Wine Advocate. The chief winemaker is Ian Hongell, one of the region's most respected figures. He previously held the equivalent position at Peter Lehmann Wines.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.