The 2005 Les Amis, sourced from a 100+-year-old vineyard, is 100% Grenache aged for 18 months in new oak. Remarkably fragrant, it emits full-throttle aromas of spice box, kirsch, wild raspberry, and blackberry liqueur. Plush on the palate, it reveals layers of rich, red and black berry flavors, ripe tannin, and a 60-second, pure finish. Although it can be admired now, the wine merits 6-8 years of further bottle aging to reveal all of its splendors. This sensational effort could easily masquerade as Pegau Cuvee de Capo on human growth hormone. 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.”Importer: Jon Elkins, The Australian Wine Connection, Carlsbad, CA; www.torbreck.com

Rich and ripe, with a dried cherry edge to the raspberry and pomegranate fruit, finishing with a lift. Has a spicy frame that lets the fruit sail on the finish. Grenache. Drink now through 2013. 100 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–HS??Region: Australia / Barossa / Barossa Valley Select to Add

Winemaker David Powell gets this Grenache from vines planted in 1901 in Seppeltsfield. Their concentrated fruit yields a black-cherry-scented wine that’s broad and mouthfilling, yet kept focused by flavors of earth and spice. Picks up a touch of vanilla from the new French oak on the finish, but also ends with a luscious, velvety texture. Drink now–2012.——J.C.(11/1/2007)—— 93