Torbreck Les Amis 2020

Some sweet and candied berry character with some milk chocolate and cedar undertones. Medium body. Tile and berry. More typical shiraz from Barossa. Ripe fruit, but tangy. Hints of vanilla. Drink or hold.

The fruit for the Les Amis Grenache is from the Slade vineyard, planted in the 1960s. The wine was matured for 24 months in French barriques (40% new). The 2020 Les Amis Grenache is savory, resinous, structural and firm. The core of red fruit remains protected, but it is clear that there is a long future for this wine that is obvious from now, and it will only evolve over time. Clove bud through the finish leaves a cooling, mineral feel in the mouth. This is very big, but very good. It is polished, and the tannins have a gritty chew to them, which is very attractive.

As the deep crimson hue suggests, this is not a light and airy Grenache, but it's a detailed and cellar-worthy one. Lucid aromas of mulberry, black cherry, raspberry compote are woven between green peppercorn and chocolaty oak, with an amaro-like underbelly. The palate is voluptuous, with rich layers of fruit, floral and spice flavor and distinctively textured tannins, like a cat's tongue. Polished, with fruit purity and sculpted muscle, this should evolve over the next 8-10 years.