The 2006 The Steading is the same cepage as the Juveniles but aged for two years in neutral hogsheads (300-liter barrels) and is David Powell’s spot-on take on Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Dark ruby/purple in color, it offers an alluring perfume of garrigue, damp earth, clove, kirsch, and black raspberry. Slightly austere now, it will profit from 2-3 years of additional cellaring and drink well through 2018.
Torbreck, under the leadership of owner/winemaker David Powell, remains a Barossa Valley benchmark as well as one of the world’s leading wine estates. The only cloud on the horizon concerns the winery’s ramped up production during a period of economic hard times.
There are three white wines in the Torbreck portfolio.
Importer: Jon Elkins, The Australian Wine Connection, Carlsbad, CA; www.torbreck.com