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Since the first vintage of Charles Melton Wines in 1984, this small Barossa Valley winery has gained both national and international recognition for its premium red table wines. The wines move from a light red, 'The Rose of Virginia', described by Anthony Rose in London's Observer newspaper as, 'The Best Rosé in Australia', through to Australia's premier Rhone-style red, 'Nine Popes'. Charlie Melton also makes small quantities of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sparkling Shiraz.
Charlie was one of the first to recognize the value and tradition of the Barossa's old vineyard Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. At a time when others were pulling out vineyards of Shiraz to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic vineyards. He was one of a small group of winemakers who helped retain the viticultural heritage of the Barossa.
To cut a long story short …A boy from Sydney named Graeme Melton, arrived in the Barossa Valley in 1973. Graeme and a mate needed jobs to fix their broken-down EH Holden ute to continue their road trip across Australia. There were two jobs going – one as a cellarhand at a local winery called Krondorf, and another pruning at a vineyard down the road. They flipped a coin – Graeme got the cellarhand job.
At Krondorf he met Barossa winemaking legend Peter Lehmann (chief winemaker for the Dalgety group, Stonyfeld and Saltram), and moved with Peter when he set up his new winery 6 years later. Lehmann refused to call his protégé “Graeme”, hence “Charlie” was born - and has stuck!
Just to speed this up a bit… During the next 10 years, ‘Charlie’ honed his winemaking skills under Lehmann – and met his wife-to-be, Virginia. Fast enough? In that time, he also traveled to France, and developed the beginnings of what would become a life-long passion for the wines of the Rhone Valley – in particular the Southern Rhone where Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre are blended with up to 11 other varieties, as in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation.
In 1984, Charlie purchased his first grapes to be made under the new “Charles Melton” label – and produced a Sparkling Red from old vines, dry-grown in the Barossa. He soon splashed out again – this time purchasing 13 acres of Grenache and Shiraz. At that time, he also built the cellar door (“the barn”) and winery which still stands today in Krondorf Road, just outside Tanunda, in the valley of Barossa, in the state of South Australia.
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Charles Melton 2006 Rose of Virginia
Until recently, there was such bias against rose by wine writers, judges, retailers and consumers, the points for this wine will come as a shock.
Vivid fuchsia, it is spotlessly clean, offering a sunburst of red fruit flavours ranging from strawberries to cherries to raspberries, with very good balance and fruit sweetness. Drink now.
James Halliday's Top 100, 95 points - THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, Nov 2006
Charles Melton's cabernet is one of the Barossa's best. It stops short of the blockbuster style, in favor of better-balanced generosity. The nose suggests violets, black fruits and smoky-sweet oak, all folded together seamlessly. The velvety palate is long and warmly welcoming, finishing with smoothly integrated, fine grained tannins.
Five stars*****
Ralph Kyte-Powell. The Age Tuesday March 7 2006
Charles Melton Shiraz 1989 to 2006
1994 Charles Melton Shiraz rated in Top 100 wines
~Sydney International Wine Competition, 1996~
1995 Charles Melton Shiraz wins GOLD medal in Rhone-style Shiraz, alongside Chateauneuf du Pape 1995 and a handful of iconic South Australian Shiraz producers
~International Wine Challenge, London, UK, October 1997~
1996 Charles Melton Shiraz in Ralph Kyte-Powell and Jeni Port’s “50 top wines at Wine Australia”
~Epicure, The Age, Oct 1998~
Andrew Caillard MW and Stewart Langton rate Charles Melton Shiraz (along with the Nine Popes) “Charles Melton… gifted winemaker making some of the most highly prized and undervalued wines in the country…”
~Langton’s 1999 Australian Fine Wine Investment Guide~
The 1998 Charles Melton Shiraz, with a score of 97/100, nudges Pinfolds’ Grange off the top spot in a 2001 tasting of Australian Shiraz
~Wine magazine, London, UK, January 2001~
Charles Melton Shiraz features in Top 20 Shiraz producers judged by Nick Bulleid MW
~The Wine Magazine, Australia, August 2001~
“… a great Barossa Shiraz (2000): massive, dense and imposing… An outstanding red.”
~Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, April 2003~
2001 Charles Melton Shiraz wins GOLD medal
~Decanter World Wine Awards, London, UK, June 2004~
1995 Charles Melton Shiraz: “This first class Barossa shiraz is ageing beautifully and still retains some youthful freshness … The oak is well integrated and the tannins are supple. A delicious red with years in front of it. Outstanding.”
~Lester Jesberg, Winewise magazine, April 2005~
2002 Charles Melton Shiraz: “Elegant, medium-bodied; excellent texture and structure; fine, intense black fruits, no hint of alcohol heat; integrated oak; long, lingering finish.” 96/100
~James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2006~
Nine Popes - 1988 to 2006
2002 Nine Popes awarded GOLD MEDAL
~Decanter World Wine Awards June 2005~
Nine Popes in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine III & IV
“Nine Popes is to Grenache and Mourvedre what Grange is to Shiraz.”
~Langton’s Australian Fine Wine Investment Guide~
“There is little doubt the wine that did more than any other to make this style (GSM) fashionable in Australia was Charles Melton’s Nine Popes.. It seized the imagination of both the public and Melton’s fellow winemakers.”
~Huon Hooke~
“…luscious, wild cherry-scented wonder, beautifully Australian, yet so romantically inclined it could weaken any number of Southern French knees.”
~Wine & Spirits USA~
“Charlie Melton’s take on the Rhone blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre has done a lot to resurrect this type of wine in the public consciousness.”
~Ralph Kyte-Powell~
“One of the most important winemakers to ‘rediscover’ grenache was Charles Melton…developed his own take on the classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, named, in true larrikin Aussie Spirit, ‘Nine Popes’ (‘Neuf’… ‘pape’… get it?)…”… “Arguably the finest.”
~Max Allen~
“One of my favourite Barossa wineries… Charles Melton.”
~Robert M. Parker Jnr.~
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