The 2005 The Factor is 100% Shiraz sourced from dry grown vines from six sub-regions of Barossa. It spent 24 months in 30% new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it delivers an expressive bouquet of pepper, smoke, espresso roast, blackberry, blueberry, and licorice. Full-bodied and voluptuous on the palate, nuances of saddle leather and mineral emerge to complement the layers of spicy blue and black fruits. The wine is beautifully integrated with enough well-concealed tannin to keep this wine evolving for a decade. The pure finish lingers for 60+ seconds to complete the experience of a totally hedonistic turn-on. - Jay S Miller

Tarry and peppery, dark and meaty, it's difficult to describe how a wine that is so packed with lush blackberry and plum fruit can remain complex. The fruit completely fills the mouth, yet nuances of spicy, meaty complexity somehow permeate, building in intensity on the long finish. Supple enough to drink now, but should evolve positively through at least 2015 and last another 5–10 years beyond that.

Not for the faint of heart, the full bore 2005 Torbreck Shiraz The Factor offers up amazingly ripe aromatics of black licorice, sweet oak and raw, meaty aromas intermixed with gorgeous dark fruit, herbs and tar notes. Full bodied, lush, rich and with a mouth coating texture and fantastic length, this improved markedly with air, picking up more edge and cut.

Rich and very ripe, this is distinctive for its black cherry, blackberry and a wide range of spices that make it more interesting. A cardamom note lingers on the long, expressive finish. The tannins are well-integrated. Shiraz. Best from 2010 through 2020. – HS