Growing up in Western Australia, Tim's interest in wine was sparked at a young age by frequent summer holidays to the Margaret River region. He fell in love with the world of wine, his passion eventually saw him move to South Australia, where he completed an honours degree at Adelaide University's Roseworthy Campus. His first job was with Southcorp, which as Tim puts it "was the best start to a winemaking career that anyone could ask for." For the next 5 years Tim worked with Southcorp, travelling the country plying his craft in the Coonawarra (Wynns) and the Barossa Valley (Penfolds), the Sunraysia and the Riverland, refining his style alongside some of the best winemakers in the country. A rapid rise through the ranks soon saw him vested with the responsibility at the age of 25, of making Southcorp's ultra-premium white wines, including Penfolds Yattarna. In 2001, Tim decided to follow his own path and began RockBare, focusing on Chardonnay and Shiraz from South Australia's McLaren Vale.
The home of RockBare is McLaren Vale. Sunny days cool nights, the unique pure flavour of McLaren Vale ..nothing more, nothing less. "McLaren Vale produces such fantastic Shiraz and Chardonnay, why would you want to make anything else here?" The success of RockBare has been mind-blowing, with critics giving RockBare the thumbs up on its strength of character and style. Like most winemakers, Burvill understands that the quality of the wine in the glass is decided by the quality of the fruit from the vineyard. RockBare showcases the pure expression of fruit from the beautiful McLaren Vale.
When Burvill started RockBare, his goal was to make pure and intense wines, using only varieties that are suited to growing in the cool, maritime climate of South Australia's McLaren Vale. Chardonnay, Shiraz and Grenache. These wine varieties were his passion, and McLaren Vale was the logical choice of region to pursue his dream. Burvill wanted to make wine in McLaren Vale because he believes it's the best all-round region in Australia. It's known for being consistent year in, year out, it's got a great maritime climate and very good soils.
McLaren Vale is undoubtedly one of the premier regions for producing ripe, palate-rich Chardonnay, and powerful, deeply flavoured, full-bodied Shiraz, but the Australian wine industry had been going through a very rough period. In the McLaren Vale, this made some incredibly old and amazing Shiraz vineyards suddenly available, which were gleefully accepted into the RockBare fold. Burvill derives the greatest pleasure from processing the fruit of so many 50+ year old Shiraz vineyards.
So, why Barossa Babe? Well, this was Burvill's secret project. Generations of winemakers have recognised the Barossa Valley's unique ability to make deeply coloured and flavoured Shiraz wines which are characterised by their depth of flavour and class. So Tim has reverted back to a trusted formula in his quest to make the perfect Shiraz. Old vine Barossa Shiraz, the older the better. For Barossa Babe, grapes from very old vines are the source. Not 20 or 30 years old, but seriously old, perhaps some of the oldest vines in Australia, up to 140 years! How could he turn his back on such brilliant old Barossa vines? The opportunity was irresistible. If you're after a light red, then RockBare Shiraz is not for you. This is an old school, hang on to your hats, powerful gutsy McLaren Vale Shiraz. So, if you're looking for a juicy red to drink with a meal, or even the next red after dinner, then you'll like this one.
Mojo wines are in keeping with Winemaker Tim Burvill's power-packed fruit driven style. From the cool temperatures of the Adelaide Hills, to the hot summer weather of the Barossa Valley, Tim Burvill selects the best fruit to produce Mojo wines. The Adelaide Hills is Australia's premier cool climate wine region, dividing the Barossa Valley to the North and McLaren Vale to the South. The region is renowned for its exceptional white wines and Burvill is doing exciting things with its unique terroir. The folds and undulations of the hills create a wide range of microclimates, whilst the beautiful verdan valleys criss-cross the north-facing slopes to capture the sun and provide protection from the strong cold southerly wind. Mojo Sauvignon Blanc is produced from Adelaide Hills fruit. It is mainly the altitude that is the key to the climate, with Mount Lofty and the Piccadilly Valley being much cooler than the city of Adelaide. Stylistically the Adelaide Hills, produces clean crisp whites, with great acidity. It is these naturally occurring flavours that Tim tries to capture in every bottle.
Mojo Shiraz, comes from the Barossa Valley, which is one of the Australia's best known regions with a rich winemaking history dating back to 1847. The moderately continental climate provides the ideal conditions for a wide number of grape varieties especially the production of full-bodied reds. It is these unique growing conditions and the natural sunlight, which Tim tries to capture in Mojo Shiraz.
