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George Bursick – Eagle Mountain Winery Director of Winemaking and one of America’s most highly acclaimed winemakers with the distinction of producing the #1 wine in the world rated by Wine Spectator. “The Eagle Mountain Winery wines will have exceptional power. The amazing quality of the wine we will make at the Eagle Mountain Winery will shock everybody. We are sourcing the best grapes from the finest vineyards in California plus we are growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc on our South Carolina estate. Additionally, we have designed a state-of-the-art winery to ensure the highest quality of wine on a consistent basis.”

After completing his undergraduate work in plant physiology, George received a Master’s Degree in Enology from UC Davis. Upon graduation from the now famous UC Davis class of 76′, George began his first solo winemaking job at McDowell Valley Vineyards in Mendocino County where he was responsible for the first commercial release of Syrah in California.

After nine years at McDowell, George joined the design/build team at Ferrari-Carano in Sonoma Valley as Director of Winemaking. In 1986 The Wine Spectator magazine awarded his 1985 Chardonnay, “Wine of the Year”, and featured only that wine on its cover. That success fueled a large expansion at Ferrari-Carano and George was able to add Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Sangiovese to his mix, ultimately allowing him to create some of the valley’s first premium and ultra-premium red blends. Throughout the 20 years of excellence at Ferrari-Carano, George has been producing award winning wines of 90+ points from the Wine Spectator.

After celebrating 21 harvests and many milestones and accolades George left Ferrari-Carano to help his dear friend Judy Jordan continue her quest to establish J Vineyards & Winery as a true world luxury icon. As Vice President of Winemaking he ushered in a new era for J Winery, employing a variety of innovative practices focusing on site-specific vineyard blocks and introducing a myriad of variables, each designed for a specific vineyard’s characteristics during the fermentation process. During his time at J Winery, George produced some of Sonoma County’s best Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris wines that received “Varietals of the Year” by three international wine publications. Pinotage was another specialty that received the highest score ever given to that variety by the Wine Spectator.


George Bursick
Director of Winemaking

George Bursick’s wines have consistently received the highest praise from wine writers, and his wines are sought after by the world’s premier wine collectors.

“#1 Rated Chardonnay in the World…Top 100 / 18 out of 20 years 90+ scores for Chardonnay”
Wine Spectator magazine

“Pinot Noir of the Year”
Wine Enthusiast magazine

“Highest rated Pinotage ever”
Wine Spectator magazine

“Numerous 92+ scores”
Robert Parker‘s Wine Advocate magazine

“Best of the Best”
California Chardonnays Quarterly Review of Wines

“George is one of California’s most accomplished winemakers who uses his vast experience to embark on innovative winemaking approaches that his peers are not willing to do. The resultant Pinot Noirs have been a revelation.”
Rusty Gaffney, MD, The PinotFile

“Bursick is approaching eminence grise status among California winemakers, yet he could care less at this point about keeping up with trends. In fact, he’s trying to break a few of them.”
Edward Deitch, TODAY

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