Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A lovely balance of Eden Valley spices and Barossa power and strength, with aromas of blackberries, graphite, olive tapenade, violets and purple fruit. The palate is full-bodied with a velvety texture, ultra-fine tannins and flavors of mulberries, mint, pomegranates, cured meat and dark chocolate. A silken finish for this excellent release from a cool vintage. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 The Struie is a blend from Eden and Barossa, melding the higher altitude austerity and structure of Eden with the density and muscle of the Barossa. I like this wine, because if you sit with it for long enough, you can clearly see the component parts side by side. The whole makes the understanding of the parts. You get the blueberry, black cherry, licorice, crushed quartz, aniseed and dark chocolate of Eden married to the bloody, earthy, gritty muscle of Barossa. Awesome.
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Australian Wine Companion
Shiraz from 76/24% Barossa Valley/Eden Valley. Deep magenta/crimson with aromas of blackberry, black cherry and blood plum underscored with hints of clove, bay leaf, licorice, dried meats, sage, mace, dark chocolate, graphite and violets. Oak, while there, is never a dominant feature in Torbreck wines; it's always about the fruit and the fruit here is black, spicy and has a long pull, with powdered, granitic tannins and plenty of latent power.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and energetic, with plenty of intensity to the flavors of blueberry preserves, cherry and wild blackberry. Notes of tea, malt and sandalwood linger alongside a touch of milk chocolate, with firm but open-knit tannins. Shiraz. Drink now through 2037.
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Vinous
The 2023 Shiraz The Struie is an elegant expression. It offers up a broad Barossa canvas with star anise and clove tones underpinned by blackberry and mulberry, topped by touches of wood smoke. Tangy acidity leads from the front with edgy tannins and fruit in the background. While often delicious from a young age, this vintage needs time.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.