George Bursick

Winemaker, Maxville Lake Winery

Maxville Winery is proud to announce George Bursick as its new Executive Winemaker. Bursick is considered by many to be among the generation of winemakers who have shaped the current era in California’s wine industry.

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 1976, 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.
At Maxville, George will have close to 90 acres of high quality Napa Valley fruit to work with - split into 20 unique vineyard blocks and planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc.

Country born: United States

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years