Torbreck "RunRig" Shiraz 2020
(Barossa Valley, Australia) - [WA 97] [DM 97] [VM 97] [JS 97] [WE 96] [WS 93]

About the Wine:
The Highland clans used a ‘RunRig’ system to distribute land amongst their clansmen in a series of widely dispersed holdings. The emphasis was not on any one farm but rather the communal element of the whole. Shiraz from old dry grown vineyards is blended with Viognier, complementing the strengths and complexities of these individual parcels of fruit, whilst giving the resulting wine a further dimension. 

About the Vintage:
Strong winds at flowering at the beginning of the growing season reduced berry and bunch count in many vineyards.  The difficult seasonal conditions continued up to harvest: a dry winter and spring were followed by very hot and dry December and January.  2020 was a difficult season to manage for both grower and winemaker with yields much lower than anticipated. Older vineyards with deeper roots remained steadfast under these conditions and produced small volumes of deeply concentrated wines from the lower yields. While the yields have been small, the overall quality has created deeply coloured and textured wines that resonate their place of origin. 

Tasting Notes:
Aubergine core with a deep purple rim. Aromatics leap from the glass with great finesse and power yet with precision and focus. The lifted plum, black currant and dark cherry along with Turkish delight, star anise, earl grey tea and black olive combine with gorgeous plumes of subtle vanilla pod and cardamom aromas. The palate is dense, firm and powerful yet holds incredibly balanced fruit intermingled with voluminous structure. One of the better RunRig’s from lower than normal yields. A wine for the cellar best after 2025-2050. Serve at 16C with delicious rich flavoured cuisines. 

Varietal Composition: 98% Shiraz, 2% Viognier

97 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2020 RunRig leads with wet asphalt and tar, licorice and blackberry. In the mouth, the wine has garden roses and pressed incense, with a core of sweet fruit that is wrapped in grainy, profuse tannin. Closed right now, but it's a magnificent wine in the scale of the releases tasted here today. 2020 will forever be the year that the world changed and perhaps the only time in the history of human civilization that all corners the world went through the same lived experience in COVID. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork." - Erin Larkin (Sep 2025)

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Sweet-scented, with blackberry, blackberry blossom, blood plum and surprising juice and animation given the particularly shy-bearing vintage (strong winds at flowering scythed berry and bunch count). A shower of rising, super-fine tannins and baking spice, cedar, nutmeg and vanillin notes speak to classy oak. Rich and glossy, with savoury hints of black olive, liquorice and mulch through the gunmetal finish." - Sarah Ahmed (Apr 2024)

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"This beautifully composed 2020 RunRig, a blend of Shiraz with a touch of Viognier, is a masterpiece bringing together dense tannins with immaculate fruit in a package built for the cellar. It boasts impressively concentrated black licorice, black pepper, coal fire, tar and cocoa aromas, with high-quality oak along for the ride. Bone dry and firm. It's brooding, with flavors held tightly against a wall of tannins before slowly unwinding over a seriously long finish. Give it time, as this is far from ready. (Drink between 2026-2040).  - Angus Hughson (Jun 2023)

97 Points - James Suckling:
"This is so aromatic with flowers, orange blossom, and black berries with sliced mushrooms and earth. Surreal. Medium to full body, with bark and blackberry character. Some bramble berry, too. Chewy and delicious. Old vine uniqueness. Some grapes come from vines as old as 1858." (May 2023)

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Rich, evocative aromas of mulberry, blueberry, coffee bean and hot-cocoa mix lend approachability to what is otherwise a rich, dense wine, packed with flavor, but also with powerful, chalk dust tannins that need serious protein if opening now. Patience will be rewarded, however. Give this a few more years in bottle."  (Mar 2024)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Aromatic and distinctive, with oolong tea, sage and a touch of lavender, plus accents of salted toffee to complement the core of blueberry and blackberry notes. Delivers dense but fine-grained tannins, firming up on the finish, where cigar box notes linger. Shiraz and Viognier. Drink now through 2030." - MaryAnn Worobiec (Nov 2023)