The Oenophiliac
A Wine Writers View on the World of Wine. Formerly Magics Wine Guide and Reviews for Newbies
Grant Burge drops in at North & South Wines, London.
I received an email the other day from our rep at Hatch Mansfield, James Wilson.
James was letting me know that Grant Burge, multi award winning wine producer, would be in the country and that he would like to show him our store.
We like the wines from this producer, after all we stock around 15 of his wines. They are diverse, adventurous sometimes classical. What would you expect from a guy who has a range of 52 still, sparkling and fortified wines.
Busy boy is our Grant.
Sample wines we tried from Grant Burge
The wines they brought for us to try were
Two sparklers:-
Pinot Noir-Chardonnay
Shiraz-Cabernet
One still white:-
Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay
Three still reds:-
Grant Burge Filsell Old Vine Barossa Shiraz
Grant Burge Holy Trinity G.S.M (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre)
Grant Burge Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon
One fortified:-
Grant Burge 10yr Tawny
If your going to start any tasting, it may as well be with bubbles. Grant Burge Pinot-Chardonnay. Good rich, yeasty aromas matched on the palate with soft, elegant bubbles.
This was quickly followed up with the sparkling Shiraz-Cabernet. Good depth of colour with a tinge of brick on the rim. Again soft, elegant bubbles and with beautiful fruit to match.
Both would retail for around £20 a bottle and they would be worth every penny. Hopefully we’ll have these two on our shelves soon.
James Wilson pouring the bubbles with Trent Burge, behind, getting his nose in and North & South Wines marketing man, Nathan Meyers, right, asking the questions.
Following on from the bubbles we hit the Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay. Classic Chardonnay barrel aged in old French oak casks.
Now to those of you who are part of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd, you need to revisit what it is that Australia are doing. The level of oak in this wine is noticeable without dominating the fruit. What you will experience is more of the natural yeasts with good citrus fruit, crisp apples with low malolactic fermentation producing some really good acidity.
The white Burgundy lovers out there should appreciate this wine. It’s great.
We currently stock this wine and it sits at £14.99 a bottle.
The man himself, Grant Burge, flanked by his son Trent, left, and North & South Wine man Nathan.
Next up we tasted the Cameron Vale Cabernet. Here we are shown just how classy Cabernet can be in Barossa. None of the big, rich, jammy fruits. Instead, elegant fruit with age potential of 5-10yrs. We were told that this particular vintage came from a slightly cooler area hence the reduction in big fruits. We stock this wine too. Currently £15.99.
When it comes to Shiraz and Rhone blends this is another area where Australia come into their own.
The Filsell Old Vine Shiraz comes from vines planted back in the 1920’s. On the palate we have a good blend of red fruit and spice. Leave to breath in your glass for a while to experience the ever changing styles or keep it for 5-10 years in your rack.
The last red we tasted, Grant Burge Holy Trinity G.S.M is an absolute pleasure on the palate.
The variety of flavours I experienced, interchanges very well between the natural fruit of the grapes and the earthiness of the vine.
You can find both of these wines on our shelves. Prices are between £15-£20 per bottle. Worth every penny again.
Lastly we finish up with the Grant Burge 10 Year Old Tawny Fortified Wine. The only difference between this and Port is geography.
This is a classy tawny. Traditional almond aromas with nutty and light marmalade palate. I like my tawny fortified wines. This is up there with the good ones. We don’t currently stock this one. . . . yet! It should retail around £20-£25 per bottle.
We do, on the other hand, stock the 20 Year Old Tawny which is a bit more of a serious fortified wine. Produced using the solera based system. The wine has more nutty characteristic on the nose and palate. Some real heat to it. A fantastic wine. £31.99 a bottle.
Thank you James for bringing Grant and Trent down to showcase some of their wines.
Also a big thanks to Grant and Trent for spending some time with us today at North & South Wines.
I’ll be interviewing Grant soon so do keep an eye out for that.
For information regarding Grant Burge Wines do visit their website
For UK stockists, besides our good selves at North & South Wines,
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