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Descendant 2019

Torbreck, Barossa Valley, Australia

Torbreck
Barossa Valley Australia
  • 97
    Points
  • The 850 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 3 Pros of
    3 recommend
    this wine
4 97
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    67

  • Producer ranking ?

    5

  • Decanting time

    4h

  • When to drink

    2020-2035

  • Food Pairing

    Lamb

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The Story

This single vineyard wine, located next to our winery block on Roennfeldt Road, was planted in 1994 with cuttings off old RunRig vineyards - some of the oldest genetic material in Australia. The Barossa's first co-fermented Shiraz/Viognier, Descendant has been joined by many more in the last couple of years - a testament to its success.

Shiraz is crushed straight on top of Viognier, which has been lightly pressed for RunRig. The blend of fr...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

Wonderfully lifted aromatics, perfumed fresh black and blue fruits with an underlying layer of star anise, clove and spice. Dense, dark cherry and blueberry fruit interwoven with subtle nuances of allspice and cinnamon. Full-bodied with great concentration, yet retaining firm yet supple tannin. This suave wine has impeccable balance. Descendant will beguile you with its immediate charm, enjoyed upon release with just a few hours breathing. However, we recommend locking your other bottles away for 5+ years to enjoy its further potential, or better still cellaring for the next 15 years. Serve at 16C with Beijing Duck, Moussaka, or exotic game meats like Chinese Roast Goose.

The growing season was defined by a continuously warm to hot summer with no effective rainfall, wind and hail at flowering, and followed with three major frosts - resulting in an earlier and much smaller harvest than average. These tough conditions produced smaller clusters of intensely dark berries with thick fleshy skins contrasted against brown mature stalks. Whilst yields were down, once these vineyards were fermenting in our cellar the concentration of colour, tannin and aroma of the 2019 vintage was revealed

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2019 followed the warm (but excellent) 2018 in the Barossa, and was marred by low yields and very concentrated fruit. 2020 was another step further down that low-yielding, dry track, completing a trio of concentrated, brooding vintages that are, as the years go by, harder and harder to get ahold of. So, the 2019 Descendant includes Viognier skins in the ferment, usually around 2%, and the fruit is sourced from vines planted from cuttings from the RunRig Vineyard. A baby Runrig, if you will. So, this is silky, slippery, tannic and intense, with layers of vibrant raspberry, jasmine tea, red licorice, jelly snakes and deli meat. As usual for the Torbreck reds, the texture of the wine is velvety, plush, intense and enveloping. This ages very well, we know it does, but if you must drink it early, decant it!

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  • 97p

Terrific intensity and depth with blackberry, blueberry, black ink, graphite and umami. Pencil shavings. Full and very fine with depth and richness. Co-fermented with 8% viogner. This is a wine that seduces you with its aromas and complexity. You just want to smell it. Give it three to four years to open. Try after 2025.

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  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Tanunda, Barossa Valley

Other wines from this producer

Cuvee Juveniles

Harris Grenache

Hillside Vineyard Grenache

Les Amis

Old Vines

RunRig

The Factor Shiraz

'The Gask' Eden Valley Shiraz

The Laird

The Pict

The Steading

The Struie Barossa Shiraz

Woodcutter Shiraz

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