Torbreck Vintners, RunRig, 2023
Torbreck Vintners, RunRig, 2023
- 75cl
- 15.5%
- Red Still
- Shiraz, Viognier
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Optimal drinking window: 2029 - 2045
Est. delivery in early spring, 2027
The RunRig might open with beautifully lifted aromatics, but don’t be fooled—it’s a powerhouse underneath. With its deep concentration and richness, it could easily be mistaken for something from the sun-soaked slopes of Hermitage. This Shiraz from old dry grown vineyards blended with Viognier (1.5%) is structured, muscular and with phenomenal density. A hint of the Viognier’s sweet marmalade character comes through as the wine sits in the glass.
Full bodied with great intensity, amazing freshness and extraordinary concentration, the multi-layered palate displays the fruit purity that only the most fastidious farming can achieve.
What the critics say:
"I have written many times about being the first person in the UK to buy this wine and list it on my Bibendum Restaurant wine list back in the ‘90s. That relationship has carried on unbroken to this day, and every time I taste RunRig, my heart takes a leap. In 2023, this is yet another super- serious and stunningly deep wine. The perfume is elevated, the palate is dense and regal, and the finish is initially ostentatious, then, at once, becomes contemplative and sage-like. Very dry, fine and hard, this is a classic example of a powerful wine that will drink well in its youth and then follow the two-decade RunRig mantra without missing a beat. I went back to my empty glass an hour later, and it was still utterly incredible. I would give it a higher score if I could, but 2023 RunRig will have to live with another perfect twenty."
"The 2023 RunRig came from a cool, wet and late season, and the wine tastes so clearly both like RunRig and like 2023. It is savory and dense, powerful and concentrated, and the 1% Viognier (added, not co-fermented) contributes a gentle sway of flowers and dried apricots to the mix. This is a wonderful wine, one that ages with grace and ease. Last year, I did a vertical of the RunRig back to the first vintage, 1996, and the wine revealed itself to be sensitive to vintage variation yet true to its regional sourcing and identity. The fruit for this wine comes from six old- vine vineyards in the Barossa, each chosen for its textural, structural and flavor attributes. 15.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. Drink 2026-2043."
The Shiraz vines used for RunRig are drawn from some of the oldest plantings in the Barossa Valley, many over 100 years old, with deep roots reaching into sandy loam over clay and ancient red-brown earth. These dry-grown, unirrigated old vines produce tiny yields of intensely concentrated fruit, and the stress of finding water in a hot, semi-arid climate is precisely what gives the wine its density and structure. Summers in the Barossa are reliably warm, but the old vines' deep root systems buffer against heat spikes in a way younger plantings simply cannot.
The Barossa Valley is Australia's most famous red wine region, sitting about 60 kilometres north-east of Adelaide in South Australia, and it built its international reputation almost entirely on old-vine Shiraz. Unlike many European appellations, it operates without strict regulatory controls on yields or winemaking, which means quality is determined by the grower rather than the rulebook. The Valley floor is warmer and richer than the Eden Valley above it, producing wines of deeper colour and greater body, and it is here that the most ancient Shiraz vines in the world are found, some pre-dating the phylloxera epidemic that destroyed Europe's vineyards.
The 2023 Barossa delivered one of those seasons that had producers checking their calendars twice. A wet winter set the vines up nicely, but then came the curveball: an unusually cool growing season that stretched harvest well into May for some producers. The rain kept coming at awkward moments, demanding serious canopy management and forcing difficult decisions about picking dates. Those who waited were rewarded; those who panicked weren't.
What emerged defies the usual Barossa script of power and concentration. The Shiraz shows restraint we rarely see here — still recognisably Barossa with its dark fruit and earth, but with a freshness that makes you reach for another glass rather than a lie-down. Grenache positively sang in the cooler conditions, producing wines with genuine perfume rather than jammy sweetness. The Cabernet Sauvignon benefits most from the extended hang time, showing proper structure beneath the fruit. Most are drinking beautifully now until 2035, though the best Shiraz will reward patience until 2040.
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