Tech stuff

How's it taste?

The 2016 Filsell Shiraz has a deep red color with bright purple hue. The nose displays aromas of liquorice, plum, raspberry, dark chocolate and vanilla. The full bodied palate offers rich and dense flavours of plum, dark chocolate and spice. The long persistent tannins are balanced by richness and sweetness of fruit. The 2016 Filsell generously demonstrates the quality of the 2016 season in the Barossa, powerful yet elegant tannin structure and lovely mid palate weight. Whilst approachable now this powerful wine can be confidently cellared for 20 years after release. Partner it with rich beef dishes such as a tenderloin or slow cooked beef cheeks.

How was it made?

The Filsell vineyard with near century-old vines is considered one of the best vineyards in the Barossa Valley and consistently produces fruit of great intensity and concentration. Planted in 1920, this vineyard also produces some of the fruit for Grant Burge Wines' flagship Shiraz, the highly acclaimed Meshach. Filsell is known to loyal followers as Meshach's younger brother.

The 2016 vintage in the Barossa saw a cool winter and spring with lower than average rainfall followed by a warm summer. The mild February & March allowed for a smooth harvest and good flavour development. 2016 is regarded as a very good year for reds in the Barossa. Different batches of fruit were crushed and fermented separately. Primary fermentation on skins occurred for approximately eight days, with a couple of small batches undergoing natural yeast fermentation in small open fermenters for a further week.

The wine was pumped over three times a day and the skins were pressed gently before the free run and pressed wine was transferred to oak to finish fermentation. The wine was matured in a combination of French and American oak for 20 months.

Who made it?

Family owned and drawing on five generations of history in the famed Barossa Valley, Grant Burge wines is a bastion of well made, value for money wines. Drawing on depth of experience in the region, Grant Burge and his wife Helen established the brand in 1988 and have developed a formidable range of wines across a broad spectrum of price points. The history of the Burge family and their long association with winemaking in the region can be traced back to March 1855, when noted tailor John Burge immigrated to the Barossa from Hillcot, near Pewsey in Wiltshire, England with his wife Eliza and their two sons. John worked as a winemaker at Hillside Vineyards and his love of viticulture was passed onto his son Meshach, who continued the tradition making his first wine in 1865, while becoming a prominent community leader. Meshach married Emma in 1883 and they had eight children. First-born Percival established the Wilsford Winery near Lyndoch in 1928. Percival had two sons, Noel and Colin, and Colin and his wife Nancy had one son, Grant. Following in the footsteps of his father and forefathers before him, Grant carried the winemaking tradition into the 21st century. Grant Burge Wines came under the ownership of the Accolade Wines' family of brands in 2015. Since then, the winery has flourished both nationally and internationally.