Moppa, Ebenezer || Barossa Valley
Shiraz 100%
14.9% Alc
130 Years Old Vine
Our owner/winemaker, Craig Isbel, was head winemaker at TORBRECK for 10 years. During his time, numerous Torbreck wines received 100 point scores!
The 2021/2022 growing season continued our run of cool vintages, with bountiful spring rain and no days recorded above 37 degrees. These cool harvests allow us to create pure, energetic, balanced wines and give us the flexibility in the winery to schedule perfect picking dates and gentle, controlled maceration. There was one isolated but significant hailstorm that affected a narrow band of the Barossa on the 28th of October, which unfortunately smashed our home vineyard, as well as the Harold Vineyard in Eden Valley. All other sites remained unaffected, and the season delivered slightly below average yields, healthy canopies and perfectly ripe bunches. While I believe 2021 will be considered a higher quality harvest, the wines of 2022 are still exceptional in their own right and will equally drink beautifully young and age with poise, balance and refinement.
Vinification began with a natural soak, followed by 10 to 14 days of natural fermentation in Stainless Steel Vats. During fermentation, we carefully managed extraction through manual plunging, pigeage, delestage, and open-air pumpovers. Once alcoholic fermentation was complete, the skins were basket-pressed before being transferred to seasoned French Oak Barriques for malolactic fermentation.
Immediately assertive and assured, the 2022 Bruce displays classic Northern Barossa aromatics of dark chocolate, mocca, liquorice and cherry, with hints of clove and spice eluding further curiosities. There is a comforting familiarity to the nose that all Bruce lovers will adore, like a warm embrace from an old friend. The palate is alive and lush, smooth and juicy, with a gravelly, ripe tannin profile encircling the core of fruit. The vibrant energy in the wine is a testament to the cool harvest conditions, and we have worked hard on maintaining this freshness through maturation. This Bruce may well be the most approachable we have released, and it’s soft, velvety and balanced texture belies its aging potential.
Izway BRUCE Shiraz 2022
Our owner/winemaker, Craig Isbel, was head winemaker at TORBRECK for 10 years. During his time, numerous Torbreck wines received 100 point scores!
Izway Wines (est. 2003) is a tiny family-owned winery committed to crafting beautiful wines that reflect the character of their environment, and the natural tendencies of their growing season. Traditional winemaking techniques such as basket presses and natural ferments are utilised, resulting in wines that are not only distinctive and expressive but also demonstrative of the unique characteristics for which the Barossa Valley is renowned.
During the harvest of 2002 at Chateau du Bluizard, I met another Australian winemaker, Brian Conway, and over many glasses of Gamay and pastis, we became great mates. After harvest we shared a flight home, and as the sun rose over Australian waters, we decide to create our own winery. Izway Wines was born.
The modern, purpose build facility was designed with sustainability in mind, with both the cellar door and winery operating completely off-grid. Utilising solar energy and barely storage, if was the first of its kind in the Barossa Valley.
Our wine making is simple and minimalistic, based on old world, hands on techniques. We limit our acid additions as much as possible, rarely use nutrient, never use tannin or any other additions and we never fine or filter our wines. We use all old oak (apart from 2 barrels a year) and age some of our wine in large oak Fudre (2.4kL). We also use some whole bunch winemaking with Grenache and Mataro and only destem (we don’t crush) our Shiraz.