Dark fruit with iodine, muscle shell and hints of coal on the palate. Full-bodied, very tight and structured with steely tannins that give incredible length and poise. The greatest Factor I have ever tasted. Driven and brilliant. Better after 2021.

Torbreck's 2016 The Factor incorporates what winemaker Ian Hongell calls their "most structured Shiraz, from a lot of ironstone soils." It spends two years in French oak barriques, half of which were new, so it shows hints of cedar pencil shavings and toasted coconut layered over ripe blackberries and spice. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes long, with terrific energy and drive. It should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines from this lineup. - JC

Deep magenta. Powerful spice- and mineral-accented blueberry and cassis aromas are complicated by suggestions of pungent flowers and incense and a hint of dark chocolate. Stains the palate with alluringly sweet black and blue fruit preserve, spicecake and violet pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of smoky minerality. Shows outstanding litheness for its power and structure and finishes impressively long and precise, with building tannins adding framework and closing grip. 50% new French oak. -- Josh Raynolds

Expressive and detailed, with dark chocolate, Earl Grey tea and sandalwood accents to the core of plum compote and blackberry fruit. The flavors and tannins are dense and compact, adding an appealing toothsome quality and showing promise for the cellar. Drink now through 2040. — M .W.

The year 2016 was one for dense, powerful and broadly textured reds in Barossa, and this wine delivers all of the above. Ripe plum and blackberry fruit are swathed in chocolaty, slightly charred veg oak notes. Black olives and earthy, peppery spices sit in the back seat. The palate achieves the classic Torbreck mouthfeel: rich, round, satiny and highly polished with a blanket of oak tucked into plush fruit. Big red lovers could drink this now with protein in front of a crackling fire, but cellaring will reap rewards. Drink 2023–2035. - CHRISTINA PICKARD