Decanter (98)

Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.

The World of Fine Wine (98)

Red and purples. There is a complex yet glorious aroma to this wine. Blueberries, spices, chocolate. Wonderfully fragrant. the texture is compellingly supple. Finely balanced and with a pleasing flick of vibrant acidity. Cherries emerge on the palate and a tobacco-leaf/cigar-box note (reminiscent of a fine Cohiba Siglo VI). Chalky the tannins might be, but they quickly dissolve into something wonderfully cushiony and gentle. Elegance personified. A superb Grenache.

The World of Fine Wine (97)

Even darker in colour than No. 3, and the aroma here is a little more closed at even this early stage, not quite as alluring. Warm earth, chocolate, black fruits, a hint of woodsmoke. This is more burly, more concentrated. Excellent complexity. The tannins here are not as cashmere-like - more chalky and firmer, more mouth-coating; perhaps more what one expects from Grenache. Fuller in flavor, great structure, bright acidity, and a very long finish. Another superb wine and again, a great future. Indeed, this would seem to have an even longer-focus than No. 3.

Matthew Jukes (20+)

2016 The Eye of Ra is a 100% Shiraz, using 100% French oak and all of the fruit comes from Ebenezer. This wine is made from the finest parcel of fruit that Ben has ever seen in his vineyard. Outstanding aromatics lead the way and the palate is nothing short of spellbinding. The finish has epic freshness and the tannins are like nothing I have encountered before from the great Glaetzer portfolio. The Eye of Ra is all about power countered with impeccable restraint and I can still recall all of its flavours several weeks later. It is one of a number of wines that I have seen lately which signal a new and fascinating epoch for Barossa Shiraz. I followed this wine over three hours that evening and it never stopped evolving in the glass. This celestial wine made a huge impression on me and it is hard for me to see how this wine can be bettered and so I am overjoyed to give it a perfect score.

James Suckling (97)

Such a luxuriant, elegant and complex young wine, this is the younger-vine material from Hill of Grace Vineyard (27-year-old vines in 2015). Multidimensional with brown spices, such as cloves and allspice, dried sage, orange peel, red berries, camphor wood and roses. A succulent palate with elegance and focus, offering blue plums and a very fine core of tannin to support such intense, vibrant fruit. Light, espresso-washed chocolate flavors lie across the fine, long and polished tannins that shape the fresh, balanced finish. A great wine that shows the DNA of the Hill of Grace terroir in a humbler mode. Beautiful now, but this will age for more than two decades. Glass-stopper closure.

Little Wine #11 NV is an assemblage of seven vintages (2015 – 2021) from six treasured plots. The oldest vines used in this wine were planted prior to 1912. Another low-yielding masterpiece, only 6,427 bottles were filled and released.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Very deep purple-black colored, Torbreck's 2010 The Laird offers an extraordinary perfume of Chinese five spice, sandalwood, rose petals, espresso and licorice over a core of prunes, dried mulberries and blackcurrant preserves plus a touch of cloves. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and packed with dried black fruits and exotic spice flavors, the generous fruit is structured with velvety tannins and just enough freshness. It finishes with commendable persistence.

Wine Advocate (97)

There's no denying the power and concentration of Torbreck's 2013 The Laird. The fruit is impressive, the oak luxurious, the texture velvety, yet I can't help but wonder if it needs to spend that extra time in barrel. Complex notes of baking spices, licorice and pepper add nuance to the Christmas-cake flavors and somehow emerge savory on the long finish. It's a wonderful wine, but would I rather have three bottles of RunRig? Without question.

Wine Advocate (97)

Torbreck's 2015 The Laird boasts explosive aromas of Christmas spices, ripe plums, vanilla, hickory smoke and maple syrup. It's a big wine, loaded with fruit and oak, full-bodied, rich and velvety, adding hints of toasted coconut and cinnamon streusel on the long, almost dessert-like finish. For a more savory experience, age it a decade or so before pulling a cork.

James Suckling (99)

A distinctive and very concentrated, single-parcel shiraz that offers a rich plum and raisin nose with plenty of tarry notes and a swathe of baking spices. The palate is packed with rich, dark-plum and black-fruit flavors and the long, strong hold on the finish lasts for minutes. So intense, this is their finest Laird to date. Best from 2028.

Matthew Jukes (20)

The Laird is used to being top dog at Torbreck and now that The Forebear has arrived it will have to share the throne. Has this worried The Laird? Not a bit of it because it has allowed this wine to become even more of a showman. 2019 is a particularly un-Laird-like vintage! It is finally enjoying its celebrity status instead of acting monkish and reclusive in the glass. When you wear a massive price tag and appeal to a different level of wine nerd, these feelings are inevitable. Self-doubt, reflection and nervousness are all part and party of a superstar lifestyle, however, with The Forebear presumably sucking up column inches and taking the spotlight off The Laird for a moment or two, this wine has returned, rightly, to loving life. As these two opened up in the glass, The Laird sprinted past The Forebear, high-fiving its fans with gleamingly bright fruit and epic length. Of course, this is an incredible creation, and it is used to attracting nose-bleed scores from the critics, but there is a new lease of life here that has allowed The Laird to relax and finally enjoy its position at the top of the pile (alongside its new stablemate). But will it retain its position out front? I wouldn’t bet on it. The Forebear has very special energy in its core. One final thought – are wines sentient beings? I have a few rather whacky ideas along these lines. For anyone who doubts this could be a possibility, if you taste the last couple of wines in this review, you could be forgiven for believing that they are and also that they know where they stand in relation to each other, appreciating their differences and relishing their familial ties. I believe. Do you?