Gibson Wines has headed to the Barossa’s high country to elevate its premium Shiraz offer, releasing Burkes Hill Single Site Eden Valley Shiraz 2021 ($85).
While winemaker Rob Gibson has a long history with the variety, it is Gibson’s first single vineyard Shiraz in its 28-year history.
The Burkes Hill vineyard in the Eden Valley is one of the region’s most picturesque.
With an easterly aspect and 430 metres above sea level, it is part of the immediate landscape viewed from the Eden Valley scenic lookout.
Burkes Hill has established a reputation for producing exceptional Eden Valley fruit.
To date however, the vineyard has been solely expressed through the Barossa’s premier white variety, Riesling.
Since 2017, Rob Gibson, through a long-standing friendship, has employed the assistance of legendary white winemaker Andrew Wigan to craft a Riesling from the same vineyard.
Now, encouraged by the unique aspect of the vineyard – and according to Rob Gibson “one of the best vintages of my 50 years’ experience so far” – Burkes Hill has been selected as Gibson’s first single site Shiraz expression.
“2021 has proven to be a really compelling year and the best wines will have great ageability,” Rob says.
“Subsoil moisture from earlier in 2020 carried our Burkes Hill site beautifully through the growing season, and the high country of Eden avoided extreme temperatures in November.
“Then we had near-on perfect veraison and ripening conditions.”
Burkes Hill Single Site Eden Valley Shiraz 2021 joins a suite of Shiraz in the winery’s top tier releases.
Those follow Gibson’s more established philosophy of multi-site blending.
Rob Gibson adopted this approach following his earlier career with Penfolds.
“This is a counterpoint to how we’ve normally expressed the Barossa’s regional hero variety,” Rob says.
“It’s extending the conversation about the diversity of sites. How it can be expressed through a specific patch of dirt, or the decisions a winegrower takes to build complexity through component blending of parcels from different sites.
“The Burkes Hill site itself also has sub-block diversity.
“It’s a microcosm of our more common approach with Shiraz across the Barossa.”
Gibson has released the first 100 six-packs of Burkes Hill Single Site Shiraz 2021 in limited-edition timber cellar cases, for $700.
Included is a museum quality, fine art paper panorama of the Burkes Hill vineyard by renowned landscape photographer Dragan Radocaj.
Each is individually numbered and signed by both Rob and Dragan.
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