The Wine Companion
Stephen Tanzer
The Wine Advocate
Wine Specator Online
The Steading - The Wine Advocate (Robert Parker)
1996
The Steading is one of my favorite Torbreck wines, not least of all because it represents such great value. During my visit I sampled the first vintage of this wine, the 1996 The Steading. Medium-deep garnet in color, it reveals a complex earthy/gamey nose with notes of damp loam, grilled duck fat and soy over a core of dried plum, kirsh, Indian spices, smoked meat and figs. The palate is wonderfully balanced and drinking perfectly, giving velvety tannins, a good amount of flesh and just enough acidity. It still has another 3-5 years of life at least.
Drink:
2010 - 2015 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 10
2007
The 2007 Steading is the same blend as the Juveniles bottling but aged for 2 years in old oak. Reminiscent of a quality Chateauneuf-du-Pape, this purple-colored wine emits aromas of Asian spices, lavender, garrigue, black cherry, and kirsch. Dense, sweet, and concentrated, it has excellent grip, succulent flavors, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish.
2006
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.
Drink:
2011 - 2018 |
Date Tasted:
Feb 09
2005
The 2005 The Steading is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mataro, and 20% Shiraz aged for 22 months in used French oak. David Powell’s interpretation of top-of-the-line Chateauneuf du Pape is spot-on. Purple-colored, it offers a fabulous nose of damp earth, garrigue, clove, kirsch, and black raspberry. Full-bodied, rich, and layered, the wine is powerful, complex and yet surprisingly light on its feet. It can be enjoyed now but will easily last for a decade. Torbreck, under the leadership of owner/winemaker David Powell, remains a Barossa Valley benchmark as well as one of the world’s greatest wine estates. The top cuvees are limited production and expensive but there are also some outstanding values in the portfolio. With regard to the current vintages for the Barossa red wines, David Powell states “2004 is more savory while 2005 has more purity and definition. 2004 is more classic, 2005 will take longer to come around.”
Drink:
2007 - 2017 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 07
2004
David Powell takes pride in his Chateauneuf du Pape-styled The Steading, and the 2004 (a 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Shiraz blend aged 22 months in old wood) is a superb example of this cuvee. Its deep plum/ruby color is accompanied by a big, rich bouquet of resiny pine forest scents interwoven with kirsch liqueur, blackberries, pepper, and spice. Full-bodied, pure, heady, complex, and nuanced, it should drink well for 7-10 years.
Drink:
2006 - 2016 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 06
2003
Reminiscent of a Rhone Valley Chateauneuf du Pape, the 2003 The Steading is an intriguing, complex blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Shiraz. Aromas of garrigue, Provencal herbs, pepper, black cherries, raspberries, and currants are followed by a medium to full-bodied red possessing great fruit, surprising elegance, and loads of complexity. It will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 5-7 years. David Powell, unquestionably one of the world’s finest wine producers, has an uncanny ability to discover old vine Barossa vineyards, and then secure long term contracts for their fruit. It is amazing that such high quality sources have not already been plucked by Australia’s giant wine corporations. Torbreck’s wines continue to get better and better, combining the old vine ripe fruit of Barossa with a European sensitivity to elegance and balance. The finest wines in this portfolio are pricy, but David Powell delivers some remarkable reds and whites at prices that are more than fair for the quality in the bottle.
Drink:
2005 - 2012 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 05
2002
David Powell consistently excels with The Steading, an 8,000 case blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Shiraz. Aged 22 months in 300 liter hogsheads (foudres), it represents Australia’s version of Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2002 The Steading’s big, spicy, earthy nose reveals notions of cherry liqueur, licorice, pepper, dried Provencal herbs, raspberries, and leather. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, chewy, and heady, it is best drunk during its first 7-8 years of life, although it will last a lot longer.
Drink:
2004 - 2012 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 04
2001
The 2001 The Steading is an ageworthy effort. Made from the same blend as the Juveniles, but aged 18 months in old French and American hogsheads (300 liter barrels), it exhibits a deep plum/garnet color in addition to a big, spice-driven nose of cinnamon, pepper, soy, damp earth, dried herbs, and red as well as black fruits. Ripe, full-bodied, and complex, it is a French-styled red that should drink well for a decade.
Drink:
2003 - 2013 |
Date Tasted:
Aug 03
2000
The 2000 The Steading displays aromas of plums, balsam wood, sweet black cherries, a hint of raspberry, pepper, and saddle leather. As the wine sits in the glass, fig notes also emerge. Among all the wines he produces, David Powell's personal favorite is The Steading. This Australian version of a southern Rhone is a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mataro, and 15% Shiraz from old Barossa vineyards, and aged six months in neutral French and American hogshead (essentially 300 liter foudres). Elegant, medium to full-bodied, pure, and concentrated, it should drink well for a decade.
Drink:
2002 - 2012 |
Date Tasted:
Oct 02
1999
The 1999 Steading, a southern Rhone blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Shiraz, and 20% Mourvedre. Two thousand cases were produced of this Chateauneuf du Pape look-alike from Australia's Barossa Valley. It is a terrific, deep purple-colored effort offering a sweet nose of pepper, black fruits, earth, tobacco, and cassis. Sweet on the attack (from ripe fruit, not sugar), this full-bodied, concentrated, powerful wine (14.5% alcohol) builds in the mouth to a creamy textured, blockbuster finish. While hard to resist, it will drink well for 7-8 years. This wine not only makes for compelling drinking, but it is also a huge amount of fun, and isn't that what it's all about? If I had to give an award to Australia's finest winemaker in 2001, it would be hard not to consider David Powell.
Drink:
2001 - 2009 |
Date Tasted:
Jun 01
1998
The dense ruby/purple-colored 1998 The Steading (also a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Shiraz) boasts a creamy texture in addition to a glorious bouquet of black raspberries, kirsch, cassis, minerals, and licorice. Seductive, voluptuously-textured flavors unfold on the palate, and the texture is so plush that the taster feels his palate is resting on a water bed of overripe black fruits. Extremely long (45+ seconds), this sensational wine can be drunk now or cellared for 10-12 years.
Drink:
2000 - 2012 |
Date Tasted:
Feb 00
1997
The 1997 The Steading, an Aussie-inspired Chateauneuf du Pape-like blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Shiraz, and 20% Mourvedre, offers up complex notes of pain grille, coffee, black raspberries, cranberries, and kirsch. Intense in the mouth, with a creamy texture, full body, and low acidity, this is a hedonistic, lush, lusty wine to drink over the next 7-10 years.
Drink:
2009 |
Date Tasted:
Apr 99
1996
This wine, a Mourvedre, Grenache, Shiraz blend made from 50-120-year old vines, is a serious Cotes du Rhone-like wine with copious amounts of peppery, raspberry, cherry, and earthy fruit. It cuts a medium-bodied, forward, and attractive feel on the palate, but lacks a multi-dimensional personality. Savory, mouthfilling, and enjoyable it is - complex, it is not. Drink it over the next 2-4 years.
Drink:
1998 - 2002 |
Date Tasted:
Jun 98