Grant Burge Wines
Vineyards
Over the years, fifth-generation viticulturalist and winemaker Grant Burge has selected a number of prime sites to establish his own unique collection of vineyards in the Barossa and Eden valleys. Today, he has unrivalled access to the best quality Barossa fruit from vines up to, and well over, a century old.
Grant Burge’s own notes on the chronological evolution of each of his 13 distinct vineyards over a 30-year-period are included below.
Cameron Vale Vineyard
It all started in 1970 with me and my parents purchasing 80 acres of land in Lyndoch and starting a vineyard. The vineyard was called Cameron Vale (after my mother’s family property in Cornwall, United Kingdom). This vineyard was planted first to Cabernet Sauvignon with some Shiraz. It is now where the Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon is grown.
Location: Kreig Road, Lyndoch (southern end of the Barossa Valley)
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Size: 32 hectares (80 acres)
Soil: Red-brown earth and gray loam over clay
Elevation: 260 meters (853 feet)
Exposure: East
Annual Rainfall: 610 millimeters (24 inches)
Climate: Mediterranean (winter and spring rains; dry warm summers). The Cameron Vale Vineyard is well-protected from the westerly winds by native forest, which also provides the vineyard with good shading from the afternoon sun in summer. As a result, the vines produce consistently excellent Barossa-style Cabernet, which is rich and full-bodied.
Hillcot Vineyard
The next land purchased was the Hillcot property in 1975. We initially planted some Cabernet Sauvignon there, but in 1982 we were lucky enough to get Merlot from the Agriculture Department, and we were the first to plant Merlot commercially in the Barossa Valley. This property is now planted entirely to Merlot and is the home of the Hillcot Merlot. This vineyard is low-yielding, producing intensely flavored wines.
Location: Barossa Valley Way, south Lyndoch (southern end of Barossa Valley)
Grape Varieties: Merlot
Size: 12 hectares (30 acres)
Soil: Sandy loam to red-brown earth
Elevation: 240 meters (787 feet)
Exposure: East
Annual Rainfall: 584 millimeters (23 inches)
Climate: Mediterranean (winter and spring rains; dry warm summers)
Miamba Vineyard
In 1983, Orlando Winery (now Jacob’s Creek) decided to sell the Miamba Vineyard between Lyndoch (southern end of the valley and Williamstown, west heading into the Barossa Ranges), which Helen and I bought at auction. There was a long history of vineyards on this land until they were removed in an ill-fated government vineyard reduction program of the mid-1980s. This land was then farmed by our family until 1990, when we decided to plant this property to grapes. Over a three-year period, this property was planted to Shiraz, Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and some Semillon. The Shiraz grapes go to the Miamba Shiraz, as well as a portion of the Barossa Vines Shiraz; Barossa Vines Cabernet Merlot, Barossa Vines Semillon and Barossa Vines Chardonnay are also made from this vineyard’s fruit.
Miamba is the Aboriginal name given to a smaller version of the black-and-white bird, Australian Magpie. These smaller birds are also referred to as Murray Magpies.(Black-billed Magpies, which look quite different, are the type often found in the western United States.)
The vineyard is alongside our Filsell Vineyard and has the same microclimate characteristics. We purchased this land because of our understanding of the quality of Filsell fruit. The grapes produce wines that are full-bodied and full-flavored.
Location: Between Lyndoch (at the southern end of the Barossa Valley) and Williamstown (west heading into the Barossa Ranges)
Grape Varieties: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Semillon
Size: 32 hectares (80 acres)
Soil: Deep alluvial and some red-brown earth
Elevation: Gentle slopes at 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: Northeast
Annual Rainfall: 584 millimeters (23 inches)
Lily Farm Vineyard
In 1985, my old company, Krondorf Wines decided to sell its vineyards at Krondorf. Helen and I decided to buy them and take on all of their vineyard staff to run my vineyards. The main vineyard that came along at this time was the Lily Farm Vineyard. The local natural springs feed opulent plantings of lilies that extend to the Lily Farm Vineyard in late autumn. These lilies were brought from Europe by the original settlers of the Barossa.
Planted in the mid-1970s, Lily Farm Vineyard has low-yielding vines, which produce concentrated and full-flavored White Frontignac (Muscat Blanc à petits grains, the noblest of Muscats), Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. The main wine produced from this vineyard is Lily Farm Frontignac.*
Location: West up the slopes, rising into the Barossa Ranges (Krondorf is in the center of the Barossa, near Tanunda)
Grape Varieties: White Frontignac, Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Size: 12 hectares (30 acres)
Soil: Red-brown earth
Elevation: Gentle slopes at 300 meters (984 feet)
Exposure: Northwest
Annual Rainfall: 584 millimeters (23 inches)
*Not available in the United States at this time and is referred to as Lily Farm Late Harvest Muscat in the United Kingdom.
Summers Vineyard
The vineyard was planted in the early 1980s by Malcolm Zema. I purchased the vineyard in 1986. We built dams and grafted Gewürztraminer over to Chardonnay and upgraded the vineyard. I named the vineyard after Miles Summers — a financial mentor (our family accountant from 1956 to 1989). Miles passed away in 1989 at age 56. I bought the vineyard because it is one of the highest vineyards in Barossa, and I was interested in obtaining Pinot and Chardonnay for sparkling. I later realized the vineyard made superb Chardonnay for complex table wines. It is located in the northern district of Eden Valley.
Location: Eden Valley’s northern district (at the northern tip of the valley)
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir
Size: 12 hectares (30 acres)
Soil: Podsolic (less fertile than alluvial soil of the Barossa Valley)
Elevation: 500 meters (1,640 feet; 200 meters or 656 feet higher than the Barossa Valley floor, situated on one of the highest Eden Valley sites)
Exposure: Northern
Annual Rainfall: 838 millimeters (33 inches; significantly higher than the Barossa Valley floor)
Climate: The temperature is 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than temperature in the vineyards on the Barossa Valley floor. The high altitude and cooler climate suit late-ripening white grapes, such as Riesling and Chardonnay, and Cabernet varieties in reds.
Wilsford Vineyard
In 1987, my father Colin Burge and uncle Noel Burge, who had run the Wilsford Winery and Vineyard where I grew up, wanted to retire. The family had two properties, Wilsford and Draycott. My cousin Richard Burge ended up with Draycott, and the wine business, and I with Wilsford Winery and Vineyard and a lot of the fortified wine, which is the base for my fortified wine today. (Wilsford specialized in fortified wine, specifically ports and sherries.) The vineyard has 4 hectares (10 acres) of 50-year-old Mourvedre, which is an integral part of The Holy Trinity.
Location: Eastern edge of Lyndoch, at the southern end of the Barossa Valley
Grape Varieties: Mourvèdre
Size: 4 hectares (10 acres)
Soil: Biscay and red-brown earth
Elevation: 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: West
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
Climate: The old Mourvèdre vines are dry-grown on a bed of deep soil. Because Mourvèdre ripens late in the season, the vines need soil with good moisture reserves to sustain them through a dry, hot summer.
Moorooroo Cellars
I started Grant Burge Wines in 1988, and bought the historic Moorooroo Cellars and Vineyard (the original Jacob’s Brothers Winery, one of the first wineries in the Barossa). (Moorooroo is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning “meeting of two waters.”) This is a relatively small vineyard has plantings of Chardonnay and Shiraz that produce full-flavored Barossa wines. Moorooroo is home to the Grant Burge Winery and Vineyards.
Location: Barossa Way at Jacob’s Creek, Tanunda
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Shiraz
Size: 6.9 hectares (17 acres)
Soil: Deep and alluvial
Elevation: 230 meters (750 feet)
Exposure: Northern
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
Climate: Moorooroo is located on the northerly, deep, alluvial river flats of Jacob’s Creek. The climate is Mediterranean (winter and spring rains; dry, warm summers).
Filsell Vineyard
In 1989, I bought the Filsell Vineyard from Richard and Valerie Filsell. This is a historic vineyard with 8.5 hectares (21 acres) of Shiraz planted in 1920 and another 12 hectares (30 acres) of Shiraz planted in the mid-1980s. Shiraz has been the backbone of Australian red winemaking for well over a century. It grows extremely well in the Barossa and has played a leading role in the district’s viticulture since grapes were first planted here in the 1840s. This is one of my premium Shiraz vineyards, which produces much of the Meshach and Filsell wines. These ancient vines produce Shiraz wines of incredible intensity and depth of flavor and character.
Location: Between Lyndoch (southern end of the valley) and Williamstown (west heading into the Barossa Ranges)
Grape Varieties: Shiraz
Size: 20.5 hectares (51 acres)
Soil: Deep and alluvial
Elevation: Flat valley floor at 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: Northern
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
The Holy Trinity Vineyard
In 1994, I purchased The Holy Trinity and the Daly Road properties from the Kies family, who were original Barossa settlers and small, family winemakers. The Holy Trinity vineyard, which does not produce The Holy Trinity wine at this time, was planted to Merlot and Chardonnay in the late 1990s. As these vines are young, the grapes from this vineyard go to Barossa Vines Chardonnay and Barossa Vines Cabernet Merlot.
Location: Lyndoch (southern end of the Barossa Valley), adjoining the Daly Road Vineyard and The Holy Trinity Parish
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Merlot
Size: 26 hectares (65 acres)
Soil: Alluvial and deep, red sandy loam
Elevation: On Lyndoch flats at 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: Eastern
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeers (23 inches)
Daly Road Vineyard
Purchased from the Kies family along with The Holy Trinity Vineyard in 1994. Daly Road was planted to Shiraz in 2004 and Grenache and Mourvèdre in 2005. The site is suitable for ultra-premium wines, and, in time, will produce fruit of the highest quality.
Location: Lyndoch (southern end of the valley), adjoining The Holy Trinity Vineyard and Parish Church and Cemetery
Grape Varieties: Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre
Size: 16 hectares (40 acres)
Soil: Deep red sandy loam — very good for restraining vine vigor, producing finer, more complex fruit
Elevation: On Lyndoch flats at 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: Southeast
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
Chaff Mill Vineyard
In 1995, I purchased the historic Chaff Mill, which was one of the last properties in the Barossa to produce chaff (feed) for horses. With the sale of the property, so passed the end of an era. My main interest in the property was the 4 hectares (10 acres) of Shiraz planted in 1890 and some very old bush-vine Grenache. The oldest Shiraz now goes into Meshach and the Grenache into The Holy Trinity, creating wines of incredible intensity, depth of flavor and character.
Location: This vineyard is located between Lyndoch (southern end of the valley) and Williamstown (west heading into the Barossa Ranges)
Grape Varieties: Shiraz, bush-vine Grenache
Size: 4 hectares (10 acres)
Soil: Deep and alluvial
Elevation: Flat valley floor at 230 meters (755 feet)
Exposure: Northern
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
Corryton Park Vineyard and Homestead
In 1998, I purchased the historic Corryton Park Homestead (one of Australia's classified National Trust homes) and 162 hectares (400 acres). This property was originally 2,023 hectares (5,000 acres) and was a sheep and cattle property. The homestead was built in the 1850s, with apple orchards and vineyards added to the site in the 1870s. A winery and barrel store was built in the 1870s, which is still there today. This higher altitude, cool-climate vineyard produces superb-quality fruit for Bordeaux varieties, such as the Cabernet Sauvignon that goes into Shadrach. Eventually, a Grant Burge Corryton Park Estate wine will be produced. (The 2005 was our first vintage from the Corryton Park Vineyard, which my son, Toby, helped plant. In the first vintage, Corryton became our favorite Cabernet Sauvignon fruit source.)
Location: Southern end of Eden Valley adjoining Mount Crawford
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (32 hectares; 80 acres), Merlot (12 hectares; 30 acres), Petit Verdot (3 hectares; 8 acres)
Soil: Loamy sand
Elevation: 450-550 meters (1,476-1,805 feet)
Exposure: South
Annual Rainfall: 838 millimeters (33 inches; significantly higher than the Barossa Valley floor)
Rocla Vineyard
In 2001, I purchased the Rocla Vineyard. This vineyard has 5.7 hectares (14 acres) of Shiraz and 8 hectares (20 acres) of Grenache planted in 1890. Bruce Wutke and I found this neglected jewel behind a rock quarry and revived it. This is a sensational vineyard producing intensely complex wines of iconic-quality style; the Shiraz grown here goes into Meshach and the Grenache goes into The Holy Trinity.
Location: Rowland Flat in the center of the Barossa (on the eastern side)
Soil: Sandy and coarse, very good for restraining vine vigor
Elevation: 240 meters (785 feet)
Exposure: Northern
Annual Rainfall: 564 millimeters (23 inches)
