Over recent years, the Barossa Valley has experienced an incredible run of very high-quality harvests, and each displays a core of vibrant, fresh, and bright energy that is a hallmark of cooler conditions. These traits are perfect for Spring drinking, and are particularly important to showcase the varietal characteristics of Grenache and Mataro, that we are now releasing from the 2022 season.
The Wines
2022 Izway Three Brians Grenache
As an artisan winemaker, I am emotionally attached to each of the wines I make, however, there is no greater example of this than the 2022 Three Brians Grenache. Just after Christmas in 2021 my father Brian was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He would come to our vineyard daily and was a much-loved presence in all our lives. Suddenly, he was in a battle that was ultimately unwinnable. He passed away on the 2nd of April 2022, and the next day, as a family, we picked the Grenache from our old vines that were crafted into the 2022 Three Brians. It felt like a fitting tribute to him and his incredible passion for life and his family. Dad used to love drinking this wine, and we shared it on his birthday every year. We hope our love for him and his love for being in this vineyard can be tasted in this release.
Perfectly structured and balanced, the wine gracefully evolves in the glass with each sip, meandering through a range of fruit driven characters. I have always loved the texture of Grenache from this vineyard, and the mouth feel is silky and plush, juicy, and intriguing. A much bolder wine than the 2021 but just as pleasing to drink.
This wine is from our 121-year-old vineyard, organically grown, made and hand bottled at Izway at our off-grid winery. The first time the wine will leave the site is when it makes its journey to its new home in your cellar. Only 300 bottles were produced.
Read more, buy some
2022 Izway Maurice Grenache
Finally, Maurice is back (briefly)! After three years of frost, wind and hail, the Maurice Grenache has returned, and we love being able to share the new release with you. Since we first made this wine in 2012, we have been tweaking the winemaking to best encapsulate the varietal characteristics of Grenache. This release showcases this perfectly, with gorgeous aromatics, freshness and energy, a certain lightness, yet enough intensity of flavour and subtle tannin structure for you to realise you are actually drinking Grenache.
We have bottled this release under a screw cap to retain the freshness of the wine as I believe that Grenache in this style is best consumed when it is most expressive.
If you’ve missed this wine, then we suggest getting a little extra for your cellar as there won’t be a 2023 release. The good news is we have been collaborating with a grower on the hills behind Greenock who has planted a perfect vineyard for us that we will turn into Maurice moving forward. The first harvest from this new block will be in 2024, and we anticipate that this will be our last move for this wine.
Read more, buy some
2022 Izway Field Blend (61% Grenache, 20% Shiraz, 19% Mataro)
As many of you know, we have been propagating and planting new vineyards at our Seppeltsfield Home Block for the last decade, beginning with some close planted Mataro in 2012 (about 0.25 acres). We then planted Shiraz in front of the cottage (0.35 acres) and Grenache in front of the winery (1 acre) in 2016. These block sizes were specifically mapped to create a Field Blend in proportions that I believe will best showcase our site. Each of these blocks were planted with cuttings that we took ourselves from our favourite vineyards across the Barossa. The process involves cutting, propagating, preparing, planting and then growing and has taken countless hours of love and attention and plenty of heartbreak, including significant frost and hail damage. In 2022 we managed to craft our first barrel (350 bottles) from these vines, and we hope this becomes an iconic Izway wine for many years to come.
The first release of this wine is elegant and expressive, with Grenache initially dominating the aromatics. The structure and depth of Mataro and Shiraz become more evident on the palate, which is effortless and complete. I love drinking this first release and am excited about what the future will bring to the evolution of this wine.
Like the Three Brian’s Grenache, the fruit has been organically grown, made and hand bottled at Izway at our off-grid winery. The wine has at no stage left the growing site. The first vintage release and only 350 bottles were produced.
Read more, buy some
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Craig Isbel
Winemaker