2016 Schwarz Wine Co Loveday Vineyard Shiraz Barossa Valley – The astonishing effect a single barrel can have on a wine is often overlooked. While it is common knowledge that putting wine into barrel adds a myriad of “oak characters” and complexity to that wine, the nuanced differences between barrels of the same wine is little understood.
“Once in a while, a parcel of wine stands out. When I tasted my 2016 wines, it was clear that this Shiraz from Ken Loveday’s Moppa vineyard is one of those wines. It is an exceptional barrel of Barossa Shiraz that deserves to stand alone as my first single barrel release.” – Jason Schwarz
The fruit for this wine was grown on Ken Loveday’s 1.6-hectare Moppa vineyard, in the North West Barossa Valley. Hand-planted with clone 1654 Shiraz in 1996/97 at 330m elevation, on an east-facing slope, it is an extremely unforgiving site where any errors of judgement are punished. The soil features a layer of wind-blown siliceous sands and ironstone conglomerates atop a relatively thin layer of impervious pebbly grey clay, with a subsoil layer several metres thick of free-draining white Moppa sand.
Due to the unforgiving nature of the site, Ken would spend so much time in the vineyard that his neighbours joked about him naming each vine. It was this care and attention to detail that drew me to the vineyard in the first place. Ken allocated a number of winemakers alternate rows across the vineyard, the fairest way to divide up the site, and I was lucky enough to secure a portion of the fruit from this vineyard for the first time in 2010, and I continued to purchase around 1.5 tonnes each year until Ken’s retirement after vintage 2018.
The release of this wine is a fitting tribute to Ken Loveday’s hard work in the vineyard and his contribution to the Schwarz Wine Co. story.
Only 390 bottles made. Drink now to 2032 and beyond
Single Price: $160.00
Any Six Bottle Buy: $120.00
Price per case (12 bottles): $1,440.00
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