Murray Street Wines
Wines of all persuasions with flavour and generosity make the Barossa the best place in the world to make wines with big, rich, robust flavours. And it happens to be where we live.
The wines of Murray Street Vineyards are constantly evolving. What is created depends on the vintage and what sort of growing season we had prior to vintage. The blending concepts remain constant each year - rich, generous wines with regional and varietal character.
But there is no recipe, we take what the season offers and we craft wine to reflect how it was.
My wife Vanessa and I have dreamed of making our own wine since I spent my first vintage throwing grapes into a press at St Hallett. We both fell in love with the wine industry as a whole, and many of the individuals who work to make it all happen. Throughout my time learning the trade from many inspiring winemakers, Vanessa and I wrote and refined business plans, models and concepts and showed them to
anyone who would read them.
Most of our ideas were ‘pie in the sky’, but one finally hit home and got some interest. Bill and Pattie Jahnke, our partners and great friends, read our latest manifestation of a plan and quickly came down to see what we were talking about. Together, the dream has now become a reality.
Of course early on I had no idea how to make our dream a reality, or how to make wine. But a vintage with Myron Redford at Amity Vineyards in Oregon (USA), gave me a chance to learn more about the craft of winemaking than I would dream of learning at college. I have had the opportunity to refine my skills working with many winemaking icons – Stuart Blackwell of St Hallett and Robert O’Callaghan of Rockford, and Trevor Jones of Kellermeister amongst others.In 2000 I had the amazing opportunity of working a vintage in France at Château de Roquefort.
It is from this experience that the majority of my winemaking concepts for Murray Street were developed.
I believe that making wine is one of the most simple and uncomplicated crafts of all. An understanding of the
vineyard’s soil and climate, the dedication and commitment to your principles and minimal intervention
in the cellars all help to produce wine with real character.It’s having the passion for what you are doing. That’s what is important.
716195 2002 Grenache-Mataro
A silky blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mataro (also known as Mourvedre), this wine is medium to full-bodied, packed with raspberry flavours and an elegant, spicy finish.
718365 2004 Grenache
89 points, James Halliday, www.winepros.com.au - Powerful varietal expression; spice, game, black fruits and ripe tannins; a juicy, warm finish.
718367 2003 Shiraz
89 points, James Halliday, www.winepros.com.au - Medium-bodied; a savoury mix of blackberry, plum, earth and spice; minimal oak; fine tannins.
718368 2002 Benno (Shiraz-Mataro)
91 points, Wine Front Monthly, www.winefrontmonthly.com.au
Lovely softness and supple appeal, with tarry, plummy, leathery, raisiny characters making it a joy to drink. You could suck on this beautiful baby all night long. There’s savoury, toasty oak in sight but it’s played into the wine rather than over it, and the whole affect is of soft-hearted charm. Now and medium term, it will give great pleasure. - Only 960 bottles produced
