Endeavour Snaps Up Cape Mentelle

ASX-listed company Endeavour Group has signed an agreement with Moët Hennessy to buy Cape Mentelle in Margaret River.

Globally renowned for producing a wide range of award-winning wines and one of Margaret River’s founding five wineries, the acquisition of Cape Mentelle will bolster Endeavour Group’s fine wine portfolio, Paragon Wine Estates.

Endeavour Group owns Dan Murphy’s and BWS as well as a growing list of fine wine brands.

CEO and managing director Steve Donohue says the acquisition of Cape Mentelle is an important next step in enhancing Paragon Wine Estates’ fine wine portfolio, giving the business a premium presence in Western Australia.

“Cape Mentelle founder David Hohnen once said ‘wine is a journey’. I’m excited for Cape Mentelle to join our Endeavour Group journey and help us create a more sociable future, together,” Donohue says.

“Anyone who has tried a Cape Mentelle Cabernet or Chardonnay knows just how special this winery is.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Cape Mentelle to the Endeavour Group and Paragon Wine Estates families and to see it continue to grow on a global scale, while giving more people across Australia access to its fantastic range of wines.”

Established in 1970, Cape Mentelle is a pioneer of many of the region’s renowned wine styles.

Its vineyards are home to diverse plantings and operate with many ingrained sustainability practices.

Cape Mentelle is a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and was the first winery in Western Australia to obtain the Entwine accreditation for its sustainability program.

Donohue says completion of the transaction will take place in due course, pending licensing approval.

It will be business as usual for Cape Mentelle with key personnel to remain with the winery, including estate director Penny Dickeson, viticulturist Dave Moulton and recently appointed senior winemaker Eloise Jarvis.

Paragon Wine Estates was established in 2019 following the acquisition of McLaren Vale’s Chapel Hill winery.

“Paragon’s ambition is to preserve the heritage of wines that have incredible provenance, to share their stories – some of which span centuries – and to make them more accessible to wine lovers Australia-wide,” Donohue says.

Its brands include Chapel Hill, Krondorf, Riddoch of Coonawarra, Shingleback, Oakridge, Isabel Estate and Josef Chromy Wines.

Endeavour Group has long-standing relationships with wine producers and grapegrowers across the country, and is one of the largest employers in the Barossa region, where Dorrien Estate winery and bottling and packaging arm Vinpac employ more than 200 people full-time, working directly with 50 grapegrowers in the region.

Cape Mentelle started out with a relatively small 16 hectare vineyard.

Today, it has grown to more than 130 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Merlot vines across four vineyards in Margaret River.

Endeavour Group describes itself as Australia’s leading retail drinks and hospitality business with more than 28,000 team members united around the group’s purpose of “creating a more sociable future together”.

The company owns the nation’s largest portfolio of hotels including Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek Hotel and Melbourne’s Young & Jackson Hotel. It has more than 2,000 retail stores and hotels across Australia.