Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2013

Professional Ratings

• 98 Wine Enthusiast
  Full-bodied and plush yet vibrant and imbued with fresh fruit, this is simply superb. The oak is present but never dominant, adding brown sugar and cinnamon elements to blueberry, roasted meat, espresso and black olive notes. A hint of peppery spice also creeps into this impossibly complex wine. The finish combines power, length, freshness and dusty tannins, suggesting that while impressive now, it should age well. Drink now–2030. Editor's Choice
• 96 James Suckling
  A very tarry rendition of bold Barossa shiraz matured in older oak, this trades on the innate depth and power of what is captured in the vineyard. It's a wine that always excels for its ability to meld complexity with focus and purity. Fruit aromas run a broad gamut from redder raspberries to blue fruits and into blackberries. There's a deeply savory, tarry, coal and even dusty edge, too. The palate has fine and silky tannins that roll in playfully with deceptive weight, depth and power behind them. Essence-like blackberries, plums and caramelised espresso flavors all intermingle in layered formation, while velvety, ripe tannins are saturated in deeply ripe flavors. This is a profoundly beautiful and stylish wine. Drink now and for 10+ years.
• 94 Wine Spectator
  Intense, with an oozing core of blackberry and wild blueberry flavors, accented by black walnut, espresso, cinnamon and black tea notes. Rich and velvety, focused and seamless, this ends on the elegant side, with a long finish. Shiraz. Drink now through 2026.
• 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Very deep purple colored, the 2013 The Factor is intensely scented of crème de cassis, baked plums and blueberry pie with hints of licorice, dark chocolate and violets plus a whiff of balsamic. Very big, full and rich in the mouth, it explodes with baked black berries flavors, framed with rounded tannins and finishing with great persistence.
• 90 Wine & Spirits
  A finely textured 2013, this wine’s blue-black fruit has wholesome freshness to its clean, fragrant length. There’s some matchstick-flinty reduction to capture and hold all the juice. It’s solidly built to age.