The 2005 The Pict is a limited production cuvee made from 100% Mataro. Purple-colored, it offers a complex perfume of forest floor, black truffle, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. This leads to a full-bodied, layered wine which is well-extracted, structured, somewhat straightforward, and just a bit compact on the palate. It could well last for 10-15 years but I would opt for drinking it younger while the fruit holds. 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

From an 85-year-old Mourvedre vineyard in the Moppa subregion. The two years spent in new French oak is noticeable at this young stage, it should merge seamlessly with the dark fruit given a few years’ time. Toast and cedar frame cola and earth, while the wine finishes with dark Asian spices. Unusually lush and rounded for the variety; drink 2008–2020.——J.C.(11/1/2007)—— 94