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2013 Torbreck Descendant

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

May 14, 2023 - $86

Estimate

RATINGS

96Wine Spectator

This is like biting into a perfect slice of warm blueberry or huckleberry pie, down to the buttery crust, with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla bean. The tannins are thick but velvety and polished, showing magnificent persistence.

95James Suckling

A more floral nose...compact, crunchy and punchy feel to it, plenty of tannin in play and a bold, brash stance...spread of blueberry and cherry fruit aromas, spice and pepper notes and a little creme caramel. The palate has a powerful and concentrated core of blackberry and blue plum flavor, it grips and squeezes, muscular and taut.

93Vinous / IWC

... Dark berries, cherry pit, vanilla and pipe tobacco on the pungent nose... Ripe, palate-coating black currant, bitter cherry and licorice flavors show impressive depth and building notes of candied flowers and allspice. The broad, chewy, very persistent finish features repeating floral and smoke notes, and dusty tannins add shape and grip.

92Wine Enthusiast

Full bodied, creamy and rich...hint of mint as well. Mixed berries and brown sugar notes mingle easily on the palate, while a touch of dried fruit (not a positive) creeps in on the finish.

90+ The Wine Advocate

...black plums, blackberries and charcoal with touches of cedar, earth and dried Provence herbs. Full-bodied and full-on in the mouth, the behemoth of a wine offers a lot of black fruit and earthy flavors...

PRODUCER

Torbreck

Torbreck Vintners was founded in the Barossa Valley of Australia in 1994 by David Powell. Trained in economics and accounting, Powell discovered fine wines as a young man and began working for some of Australia’s most renowned wine estates. In the early 1990s he acquired a few old vine vineyards. He named his estate after a forest in Scotland where he had briefly worked as a lumberjack. Today the 250-acre makes a range of acclaimed wines based on Powell’s love of the wines of France’s Rhone Valley. Torbreck grows Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Semillon and Frontignac. Nevertheless, the estate’s most prestigious wines are are his Rhone style reds, including The Descendant, The Factor and Run Rig. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Powell “one of the geniuses of Rhone Valley-influenced blockbuster red wines from Australia.”

REGION

Australia, South Australia, Barossa Valley

South Australia is the nation’s most important wine region. South Australia is to Australia what California is to the U.S. About half of Australia’s wine comes from South Australia and many of the country’s most acclaimed producers are there. Wineries based in South Australia include Penfolds Grange, Torbreck, Amon Ra, Henschke and Jacob’s Creek. The prestigious Barossa Valley is located in South Australia, and is often compared to Napa Valley because it is gorgeous topography covered in grape vines. First farmed by 19th century German-speakers who immigrated from what is now Poland, the Barossa Valley is the crown jewel of the region. South Australia has widely varying climates, from very hot, dry areas to cooler, high altitude areas. There are more than 150,000 acres of vineyards in South Australia, with more being planted each month. Shiraz is king, though the region also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay and Semillon.