2020 Torbreck The Factor Shiraz

Predominately sourced from the Gomersal and Marananga sub regions of the Barossa with contributions from Krondorf and Ebenezer as well, 2020 was a low yielding vintage producing wines of both impressive concentration and texture. Maturation took place in a combination of new (40%), second fill and seasoned French oak barriques for a period of 24 months.
Magnificent inky black colour with an equally deep black dark red hue. Potent ripe blackberry, liquorice, black cherry and dark chocolate aromas swamp the olfactory senses trailed by toasty vanillin oak, earthy mocha and spice notes. Rich, voluptuous and densely concentrated, every corner of the mouth is engulfed with lavish blackberry, liquorice, dark plum and dark chocolate flavours. Ripe, slightly chewy tannins provide excellent structure with notions of toasty vanillin oak, earthy mocha and spice characteristics lurking beneath. Exceptional power concluding long and decadent.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 15%

Other Reviews….
The 2020 The Factor is 100% Shiraz and made up of fruit from Gomersal, Krondorf, Marananga and Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley. The wine was matured for 24 months in a combination of new (40%) and seasoned French oak barriques. In the glass, the wine verges on black, and the nose echoes this abyss-like shade. Blackberry, blood plum, black cherry, licorice, campfire embers, cocoa dust, clove, iodine, vanilla pod and red dirt—this is the core of the wine, the beating heart. The tannins, like a skeleton that protects it, are velvety, plush and structural. Like a skeleton, the tannins are entrenched in the fruit, concealed by a skin of flavor. This is a sybaritic, superstar wine that reflects the warm, concentrated, dry, low-yielding vintage from whence it came. This is classic, polished, midnight Torbreck here. Drink 2023-2043.
96 Points
Erin Larkin – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

2020 The Factor is the fashion world’s equivalent of a midnight black ballgown, brimming with CGI detail. This is Australia’s Hermitage but blacker, more mineral- drenched, more focussed and, believe it or not, less seemingly tannic and terrifying. The Factor is all about the most luxurious textures and the most incredible control. It is a rich and layered wine, but it shows no trace of excess or ebullience. It is the epitome of measured fruit, lock-step organisation and thrilling symmetry. In the Factor, Runrig, Laird triumvirate, this is the most approachable and kindly of the three wines, but it is also a mighty creation with Mensa-like detail and mind-bending length. Drink 2026 – 2040.
19.5+/20 Points
Matthew Jukes