Woodcutter’s Shiraz from renowned Australian producer Torbreck Vintners is made from 100% Shiraz grapes that are carefully hand-harvested from sought-after fields in Marananga, Greenock, Seppeltsfield, Gomersal, Moppa, Lyndoch and Ebenezer in the Barossa region.
Absolutely incredible value for money, which will go perfectly with different dishes. Grill, stews, pepper steak, Tournedos Rossini and vegetarian dishes with a lot of umami.
The wine unfolds with notes of red cherry, raspberry coulis, blueberry jam, wild blackberry and blackcurrant with underlying subtle layers of spices including cardamom, star anise and Chinese five-spice.
96 POINTS
James Suckling
“FULL-BODIED YET SO REFINED”
Lovely ripened blackberries and raspberries. Al dente. Full-bodied yet so refined and focused with crisp acidity and ultra-fine, creamy tannins. Succulent and crunchy but focused and structured. Bright and purposeful. Drink after 2024 but already hard to hold back.
92 POINTS
James Halliday
91 POINTS
Robert Parker
“IMPRESSIVE”
Ever the reliable wine in the Torbreck lineup (challenged only by the beauty of the Steading, but nevertheless), the Woodcutters have tightened up over time. My first introduction to it almost 10 years ago recalls a plush, full-bodied wine that delivered all the Barossa feels and flavors that one could possibly hope for. These days, and today specifically, the 2021 Woodcutter’s Shiraz is tight and tense, with black brooding fruit set to a rigging of firm, savory tannins. The oak is subliminal in this wine, leaving only the tannins to shape the fruit. Really handled well. Impressive.
About Torbreck Vintners
Torbreck – world-class Australian wines. Torbreck was founded in 1994 by David Powell, who bought a vineyard in Maranaga. This became the foundation not only for the wine house Torbreck, but also for the man behind it, a “larger than life” personality who helped create a number of epoch-making wines, which, among other things, at one point earned him the title of Winemaker of the Year in The Wine Advocate. Physically, Torbreck can only be described as a very minimalist wine house – it consists, in short, of something that could look like a sheep shed, two cement tanks and a primitive pump.
The name Torbreck, like many of the house’s wine names, is of Scottish origin and should be seen as a tribute to the country where David Powell previously worked. Thus, e.g. Woodcutter’s is named after the Scottish woodcutters, while the house’s flagship, Run Rig, is named after the popular Scottish band.
Torbreck’s wine style is a beautiful union of the classic Barossa wine and the best from France’s Rhône Valley. Nuanced, soft wines with an almost creamy structure that already seduce at first taste. Parker actually also calls the house’s Run Rig “La Mouline of Australia”, by which he alludes to the single vineyard cuvée from Guigal’s Hermitage, which has both sky-high prices and points.
Prestigious winery
However, due to a hard divorce, David had financial problems, so in 2002 he had to sell the winery to Jack Cowin, who in 2008 chose to sell it on to the American investor, Pete Kight. In 2013, however, David chose to leave the winery, after which his assistant winemaker Craig Isabel took over the management.
However, the resales and David’s farewell to Torbreck have in no way harmed either the winery’s wines or reputation. Torbreck still belongs to the absolute elite, and the house’s prestige wine, the Laird, is sold at prices matched only by Three Rivers, Penfolds Grange and Henschke’s Hill of Grace. However, this does not mean that wines are not made at a more affordable price range – here, for example, GMS, Juveniles and Woodcutter’s excellent representatives of the house’s style.
