The Barossa certainly provides us with rare and distinguished wines in all kinds of conditions.
The wines made in 2019 are indicative of a warm, low yielding harvest and will please lovers of powerful Barossa Shiraz. We anticipate the wines from 2019 to be highly sought after, following the lowest yielding but regarded by many to be the highest quality vintage of the decade.
Whilst 2020 was a rough year for everyone, the silver lining from this difficult year was the exceptional quality of wine produced albeit in very limited supply. Frost and windy conditions in the Spring were primarily responsible for the significantly reduced crops.
We are now ready to release from our cellar to yours the new 2019 Bruce, 2020 Harold and 2019 Don Shiraz.
The Wines
2019 Izway Bruce Shiraz
The 2019 Bruce returns to a Barossa/Eden blend, with the cracking wine we made for the 2019 Harold used to ‘structure up’ the original North Barossa Bruce blocks. The wine opens quite shy and will benefit from a decant before use.
Once the aromatics are revealed they are familiar for Bruce lovers, with coffee, cacao, star anise and vanilla all displayed vibrantly. The palate is dense, dark and ripe, exquisitely structured with a depth and complexity that can be attributed to the addition of the Eden Valley vineyard. The fine grain tannin initially lurks in the background and then evolves into an integral part of the wine.
I had a lot of fun with this wine as it seems to be constantly changing and evolving in the glass. Another great Bruce release that won’t disappoint.
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2020 Izway Harold Shiraz
This is a worthy follow up to the exceptional 2019 release, which was the first wine we crafted from the new Fechner Moculta Vineyard. I think the 2019 will go down as one of the best wines we have ever made, and the 2021 (to be released next year) will rival this. The current 2020 release is sandwiched in between these two prodigious wines and is remarkable in its own right.
Appearance is dense black with purple hue, almost completely opaque. Vibrant and fresh aromatics of dark chocolate, violet, lavender and cassis. Bold, brave and generous, lively and fresh, the palate is primarily forward without being heavy, a hallmark of the Northern Eden Valley. Low acidity and soft tannin lead to a wine that is drinking well now, but there will be some benefit in cellaring for 5 to 10 years.
The 2020 Harold certainly has us excited about the future of this site and we anticipate that this will once again be a very popular release.
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2019 Izway Don Shiraz
Rich, bold, brash, assertive and confident, the 2019 Don is once again a dominant force amongst these releases.
Immediately impressive, the new oak component (50% French Puncheon) melds perfectly with the classically Don aromatics of dark chocolate, coffee and blackberry. Polished, clean and vibrant, the wine is reflective of the warm harvest conditions and our focus on delivering more freshness on release. The dense mid palate is suave and svelte, and it flows and folds into a firm, ripe tannin profile.
The wine is very enjoyable now but will certainly benefit from another 10 years in bottle. This release once again asserts the role of Don as the Patriarch of the Izway family.
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These three wines achieve everything that we hope from each harvest; they are distinctively different from each other and their predecessors, yet each encapsulate the history of Bruce, Harold and Don.
Cheers,
Craig Isbel
Winemaker