Torbreck Run Rig 2012 Magnum

I feel like the consistency and quality of Torbreck's flagship wine has only increased over time. The 2012 RunRig is gorgeously floral and vibrant, with concentrated red berries, characteristic weight and intensity on the palate and supple, silky tannins. It's delicious now, but it should age gracefully through at least 2035. 99 Points. Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Sept 2018).

Lifted and intense floral notes absolutely leap from the glass in a harmonious array of purple roses and violets in conjunction with tight and sweet blue fruits; mulberry, plum and crème de cassis. The colour is dense yet the texture of the wine possesses refinement and grace. As has become a signature trait of Runrig, especially in the best years of which 2012 is surely one, the wine maintains a soft, delicate touch, all contained behind the robust and muscular framework of full-bodied Barossa Shiraz. The length of the wine is huge with blue and purple fruits dominating the palate. The weight of this fruit, balanced with the elegance of the texture coupled with the finesse of the structural elements of bright acidity and very finely grained tannins is truly harmonious and is the outstanding achievement of the wine. There is an ashy/black fruit component that I love – particularly towards the back of the palate – which is a character I often identify more in Barossa Mataro. But no, this is all Shiraz aided by a mere yet very present 1.5% Viognier. An outstanding wine that will drink well for 20 years. (A recent tasting of multiple back-vintages of Runrig dating back to 1999 exhibited the true potential of the wine and was a lesson in the rewards of patience.) -
FWC