Media Releases
Media Release: 22/03/2009
BURGE/TAYLOR ON CRICKET AND WINE
All Grant Burge wanted to do was talk cricket. And all former Test skipper Mark Taylor focused on was quizzing the high-profile Barossa Valley winemaker on his latest flagship reds.
Burge and Taylor joined this scribbler at the Woollahra Hotel’s Bistro Moncur to put the 2004 Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz ($130), 2006 Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon and 2004 Abednego Shiraz-Mourvedre-Grenache (both $60) to the test.
For cricket tragic Burge, picking the Nine Network commentator’s brain on the future of Australian cricket, was deeply informative and satisfying. Barossa aficionado Taylor, on the other hand, was in awe of Burge’s ability to fashion a trio of extraordinary reds.
“Meshach rivals the best shiraz coming out of the Barossa,” was Taylor’s verdict on Burge’s trump card shiraz. After running his palate over the other reds he observed “Shadrach has tons of power and elegance and Abednego is a splendidly blended red with attitude”.
Taylor, along with other members of Nine’s commentary team, struck up an association with Burge a few years ago on the eve of the Adelaide Test. It’s since become an annual ritual.
When Burge released his first Meshach in 1988 it sold for around $24. He quickly discovered it was attracting almost triple that at auction. Although it’s now crept to $130 a bottle, this still makes it a steal considering its superstar quality. While new releases of Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace command outlays in excess of $400 a bottle, it’s difficult to see how they’re that far superior to the likes of Meshach and, say, Jim Barry’s Armagh.
Although cabernet sauvignon falls well behind shiraz in the Barossa’s pecking order, Burge‘s Shadrach has established itself as a proven performer. The 2006 version, built around the elegance and finesse of Eden Valley fruit, is a true bell ringer. Abednego perfectly marries the influences of three poles-apart varieties, producing a harmonious red that’s amazingly rich and complex.
(Disclaimer: Mark Taylor is managed by the writer)
John Fordham
The Fordham Company
www.thefordhamcompany.com.au