Torbreck Shiraz Barossa Valley the Factor 2004

Perfumed on the nose, with hints of roses, pepper and game all adding complexity atop the base of berries and earth. This is wonderfully creamy in texture and crammed with lush fruit, but by no means is it what youandrsquo;d dismissively call a fruit bomb, as there is considerable nuance to the flavors, ending on notes of pepper, meat and dried spices. Drink nowandndash;2020.

96 points out of 100 by James Halliday

Generous and soft as a down pillow, this balances dense, super-ripe flavors of prune and raisin with black walnut tannins. The florid fruit and charry oak should meld over the next few years, when the texture will parallel lamb shank melting off the bone.

Made from 100% Shiraz that spent 24 months in French oak (30% new), the exuberant, flamboyant 2004 The Factor offers up gorgeously pure blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with smoke, bacon fat, camphor, and graphite. Silky smooth, and, as David Powell says, andldquo;the most Barossa-likeandrdquo; of all his wines, it represents Powellandrsquo;s rendition of a Cote Rotie. It can be drunk over the next 15andndash;20 years.

The 2000 The Factor (1,000 cases) has benefited from the fact that Powell decided not to produce a Run Rig in 2000. It is a compelling wine of great richness, multiple dimensions, and glorious levels of blackberry liqueur-like fruit intermixed with creme de cassis, melted licorice, espresso, and leather. Sweet, expansive, and opulent, it is a lusty, hedonistic, mouth-staining Shiraz that should drink well for 10ndash;15 years.

89 points out of 100 by Harvey Steiman

Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2004: Dekantier-Empfehlung (1 Std. vorher belüften), Empfohlene Serviertemperatur: 16-18°C, in Barriques gereift (24 Monate), lagerfähig 10 - 15 Jahre ab JahrgangJahrgang: 2004Inhalt: 0,75 LRegion: Barossa ValleyWeingut: Torbreck VintnersRebsorte: 100% ShirazRestzucker: trockenRestsäure: 7 g/LiterAlkoholgehalt: 14,5 % Rotwein