Torbreck The Steading 2022 - 3x75cl

18.5+/20 Points - Matthew Jukes "In many ways, The Steading is the most complex wine to assemble because it is made from some 45 different parcels of grapes. I have long been a fan of this label, not least because it retails for a snip of the price of some of the starrier names, and yet it always shows trademark Torbreck swagger and élan. 2022 is a sensational vintage for The Steading, and it might be the most profound release of this label to date. The time-honoured blend of GS&M can sometimes be a confusing puzzle to fit together, but in 2022, it tastes like the puzzle pieces fused of their own accord, each edge gliding seamlessly into place and settling into the whole in perfect symmetry. With a wet Spring and a cool Summer, this was always going to be a fascinating wine because both Grenache and Mataro adore these conditions. Unusually, the fanfare of red/pink fruit notes is arresting, with rhubarb, cherry and raspberry tones surfing the aroma’s top notes. Beneath this frivolous exterior, a much darker and more lusty wine lurks. There is undoubted energy here, carrying the flavour along with considerable momentum, and it flatters the drinker, seemingly ushering you to the glass with an uncommon tempo, but this is an illusion. This troubadour attempts to woo you before time, and while it is easy to fall into its trap, try your best to resist. Great vintages of The Steading tend to kick off after they have spent four years (not two) in the bottle, as this time is spent unlocking the deep mulberry and plum notes hidden behind the energetic acidity in the centre of the swirling, silky flavour. This is a The Steading of considerable class, and if you have yet to join the ‘Torbreck Club’, I suggest you start here – by the time you uncork a bottle of this wine, you will be frothing with excitement, and this wine will rise to every expectation and more." Drink 2026-2035