Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz 2018

Stuart McCloskey, 26 February 2025 “Glorious colour of deep crimson – lovely gloss, too. The bouquet takes time to evolve (I suggest a minimum of 3-4-hour decant) and once sufficiently aerated, unfurls gracefully, which caught me by surprise. This is wonderfully detailed, and as expected from these ancient vines, provides a profusion of mineral-laden fruit. Blackberry, mulberry, and damsons are kissed with Asian five spice, a lick of woodsmoke, cigar box, charcuterie (smoked sausage) fresh sage, iodine, lavender, thyme, along with mocha. The palate feel is harmonious and sweetly seductive - the flavours flow like a soothing stream… Again, I am taken by surprise as I wasn’t expecting such poise, elegance, and freshness. The tannins are wonderfully shapely and gently caress rather than ‘grip’. This is moreish and difficult to put down (says he before eating breakfast!) Stylistically, this is more of an arousing, goose-bump symphony than a head-banging show, and very much to my preference. There’s certainly depth and breadth to the flavour profile – blackberry, damson compote, violet, a little Asian spice, which interplays beautifully with the underlying pastille opulence. Minerality runs to the wine’s core. Dig a little deeper and enjoy the charcuterie, Mediterranean herbs and olive tapenade… With time – this will drink like a great, Northern Rhône. The flavours spread across the palate – the length is astonishing. A wine for true believers and one that clearly demonstrates the importance of a great vineyard, a spectacular vintage and a sensitive winemaker.  Such a complete wine… Served using Zalto Bordeaux stemware. Drink now to 2040.”

Craig Stansborough, Chief Winemaker “If you took a straw poll in Barossa of winemakers’ favourite vintages they would probably reply “2010, 2012, 2016 and 2018”. My personal favourite is the 2018 with 2016 not far behind… A lot of it is Mother Nature doing its thing, that is the key driver in those vintages.

The 2018 Meshach is a wine of incredible power and weight, balanced with exceptional class and elegance. The 2018 release marks the 30th Anniversary of this iconic wine.. A strong and compelling bouquet of black pepper, sage, plum, coffee and mocha. Hints of tree bark, pencil shavings and dark chocolate highlight the complexity of this wine. A wine worth of its Langton's 'Outstanding' classification. This is a bright, vibrant, powerful yet elegant wine, with a strength that is reflective of the old vine blocks it comes from. Wonderfully balanced, with dark chocolate and plum on the mid palate, with hints of aniseed and cinnamon on the end. A long, elegant finish with an acidity line that will ensure this wine will age gracefully.”