Torbreck Marsanne / 2024 / 750mL

The Torbreck Marsanne 2024 is a full-flavoured Barossa Valley white built on texture rather than sharp acidity, with the soft, faintly waxy character the variety takes on in a warm South Australian climate. Marsanne from the Barossa Valley sits somewhere between a dry Riesling and a Chardonnay in weight, and this 2024 is a good example of that middle ground.

Pear skin, quince and honeydew melon lead the aroma, with a lanolin-like richness underneath and a lift of dried honeysuckle. The palate follows with white peach and preserved lemon, a hint of almond meal, and a gentle bitterness on the back half that keeps everything honest.

Weight is the defining feature here: the wine is broad and mouth-filling through the middle, with a fine chalky grip along the edges of the tongue rather than a bright acid spine. The finish is dry, savoury and long, drifting back to citrus pith and struck stone once the fruit fades.

Serve the Torbreck Marsanne 2024 at around 10 to 12 degrees, and pull it from the fridge fifteen minutes before pouring so the texture opens up. Roast chicken with tarragon, pork belly, salt-and-pepper squid or a washed-rind cheese all work well.

Drink from now to 2029, though the Marsanne will reward a couple of years in the cellar as the honeyed characters build.