Torbreck The Steading GSM / 2021 / 375mL

Description:

Torbreck The Steading GSM 2021 in half bottle is a full-bodied Barossa Valley red built on grenache, shiraz and mataro, dark-fruited and generous rather than shy. The 375mL format suits a single evening or a table of two, and it gives you a look at a wine that would otherwise sit in the rack for years.

The nose runs to cassis and dark plum, with leather and peppery spice sitting behind the fruit. In the glass the 2021 shows the reward of an excellent growing season across the Barossa, a vintage widely regarded as one of South Australia's best, and the fruit has real clarity to it.

The palate of The Steading 2021 is broad and warm, with firm structural tannin and enough acid to keep the weight in check through a long, spicy finish. A half bottle opens up faster than a 750mL, so half an hour in a decanter is usually plenty.

Grenache shiraz mataro of this build wants meat and salt: lamb shoulder, char-grilled sausages, slow-cooked beef cheeks, or a wedge of aged cheddar at the end of the night. It also handles a mid-week roast chook far better than its size suggests.

Drink now through to about 2030. Bear in mind a 375mL matures faster than the full bottle, so this one will hit its stride earlier than the same wine in standard format.