2016 Torbreck The Laird Shiraz Museum Release Magnum 1.5L, Barossa Valley

A distinctive and very concentrated, single-parcel shiraz that offers a rich plum and raisin nose with plenty of tarry notes and a swathe of baking spices. The palate is packed with rich, dark-plum and black-fruit flavors and the long, strong hold on the finish lasts for minutes. So intense, this is their finest Laird to date. Best from 2028.

99 points James Suckling, May 2021

From the 2ha dry-grown Gnadenfrei vineyard in Marananga. Vines are low yielding and tended by hand. Matured 36 months in new French oak barriques. Barossa shiraz on another scale, every detail exploded into larger-than-life proportions. Impenetrable black. Deeper presence of black plum, licorice and prune, more exotic old-vine spice, more smoky dark chocolate, more mineral tannin, more spirity alcohol, more coal dust, engine oil and unbridled horsepower. To achieve all this with profound persistence and consummate integrity is where The Laird leaves all other overpowered pretenders in its dust. The most spectacular monument to the sheer might of Barossa shiraz. Drink to 2036.

98 points Tyson Stelzer for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2021

Torbreck's 2016 The Laird is just being released after its extended time in barrel. I'm still unconvinced by the élevage, as the wood seems to have the upper hand, marking the nose with scents of smoke, cedar, menthol and baking spices. Yes, there's ample underlying fruit—mulberries and Italian plums—but it all takes on a slightly dessert-like cast that's only partially balanced by lingering hints of black olives, licorice and caramelized meat on the extended finish. Give this another few years in bottle so the oak-imparted notes further meld with the fruit and form a more complete, harmonious whole. Drink to 2040.

98 points Joe Czerwinski for The Wine Advocate, July 2021

Potent and precise, the densely layered taffeta tannins sheathe and support brooding caramel and dark compote fruit, yet there is a blossom fragrance and enticing savoury detail, with earthy loam, black truffle, cep powder and gunmetal, together with chocolate, nutmeg and toasty oak. Beautifully controlled, with the energy, muscle and persistence to go long distance. Hails from the Laird vineyard (previously called Gnadenfrei) in Marananga, planted in 1958.

98 points Sarah Ahmed for Decanter

Very deep, dark red colour with some purple tinges, almost unctuous in the glass. The bouquet is distinctively different to the other Torbreck reds: Dark chocolate, brown spices, dried flowers, freshly-turned earth and a hint of nutmeg. A wide range of spices. Mocha, dark-chocolate-coated black cherries, the palate full-bodied and quietly massive, invading the entire mouth and leaving multi-layered flavours that last and last. A lot of oak has been soaked up by this wine, but, while it certainly influences the style, it's in balance. An impressive wine indeed. Drink to 2041.

97 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, February 2021

This extraordinary wine is complex and distinctive, with aromatic sandalwood and mahogany details, black walnut and coffee liqueur accents, and thick, plush notes of blackberry and cassis at the core. The details keep coming on the velvety finish, where fresh spearmint, gingerbread and toasted cumin notes linger.

96 points MaryAnn Worobiec for Wine Spectator