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Grant Burge

Grant Burge Wines were formed in 1988 when the owner, Grant Burge himself, purchased an already well established estate in the Barossa Valley. Burge was no novice, having been in the business for many years before taking on this venture. He put his expertise to good use, purchasing a number of select vineyard sites around the Barossa Valley. Grant Burge now has hundreds of hectares under vine, both in the Barossa Valley and further afield. From these plots come a number of single vineyard wines, but also the fruit for Grant Burge's top cuvée, Meshach.

Grant Burge The number of vineyards, and range of cuvées, is such that it makes little sense to list them all individually. Nevertheless, such a range of single vineyard wines is impressive, and deserves some attention. The white wines are led by a number of single vineyard varietal wines, including the following:

Thorn Riesling, made mostly from the fruit of the Thorn vineyard, whole-bunch pressed.
Kraft Sauvignon Blanc, sourced from a vineyard belonging to local growers Val & Dennis Kraft.
Zerk Semillon is produced from a plot of 70 year old Semillon vines belonging to Robert & Janine Zerk.
Summers Chardonnay, sourced from the high altitude Summers vineyard in the Eden Valley. Following fermentation - using wild yeast for a small proportion of the wine - the wine undergoes regular batonnage and oak ageing in barrels which are 42% new each year.

There are other whites produced, but these four offer the most interest. There is an even larger range of reds, including:

Hillcot Merlot, from a loamy, gravelly site originally planted up in 1968.
Filsell Shiraz is an old vines cuvée, sourced from a vineyard situated on the alluvial flatlands.
Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Cameron Vale vineyard, a limestone site.
Miamba Shiraz, from a site between Cameron Vale and Filsell.

Impressive as they may be, this collection of single vineyard wines do not represent the pinnacle of Grant Burge winemaking. Rather, this is represented by a trio of special wines all made from top quality fruit. First off is The Holy Trinty, a beautiful name for a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre, using very approximately one-third of each (in truth a little less Mourvèdre than Grenache and Shiraz). The Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Coonawarra and Barossa fruit, with a little from the Adelaide Hills. Top of the tree, however, is the Meshach Shiraz, which is predominantly sourced from the Filsell vineyard. (8/12/00)

Contact details:
Address: PO Box 421, Tanunda, South Australia 5352
Telephone: +61 (0) 8 8563 3700
Fax: +61(0) 8 8563 2807
Internet: www.grantburgewines.com.au

Grant Burge - Tasting Notes

I tasted the following wines in December 2000. Click to locate stockists.

Grant Burge Summers Eden Valley Chardonnay 1999: A nose full of oily, fatty, smouldering and smoky oak. A rich and fat texture on the palate. Sharp acidity and good fruit. This wine needs time to integrate, but it should be lovely. Very good.

Grant Burge Zerk Old Vine Semillon 1999: A classic honey on toast nose. Again, a beautifully textured palate. Smoky, integrated oak sits with more fruit, honey and toast. Lovely. Very good.

Grant Burge Holy Trinity Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 1996: A small, sediment laden tasting sample, as we had the dregs of the bottle. We requested that the representative from Francis Stickney Agencies, the importer, opened another as there was still a quarter hour of tasting time remaining. He refused, claiming unconvincingly that the wines had already been packed away ready for transport to the next tasting. It was a shame, as the nose here suggested real quality. Probably good.

Grant Burge Hillcot Merlot 1998: A big, spicy, fruitcake nose. A tannic, spicy and alcoholic palate. Lovely texture, and very drinkable, although no doubt this wine has further development ahead of it. Very good.

Grant Burge Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 1998: A fruit laden nose, with smoky oak. Rich fruit on the palate, with spicy tannins and good acidity. Desperately needs more time in bottle, but should be very lovely. Excellent.

Grant Burge Filsell Old Vine Shiraz 1998: A lovely nose, packed with Shiraz fruit. More sweet fruit, chocolate and spice on the palate. Lots of tannin. Lovely stuff. Very good.