Bleasdale Vineyards in Langhorne Creek will celebrate its 175th anniversary on Friday 4 April – marking the occasion with the release of five new wines including Mainsail Malbec 2022.
The special wine – which retails for $99 – honours winery founder Frank Potts’ seafaring and boat-building heritage.
In 1850 Frank Potts established Bleasdale, the founding winery in Langhorne Creek and one of the pioneer wineries of Australia.
The Potts family recognised very early on the potential of Malbec in Langhorne Creek to produce rich and full-bodied wines of intense flavour.
Malbec was the first table wine Bleasdale produced in 1961 and has since become the signature variety of the winery and Langhorne Creek.
“When nautical adventurer Frank Potts signed the deed to his 120-acre property on the banks of the Bremer River in 1850, he could not have imagined the legacy he would contribute to Langhorne Creek and the Australian wine industry,” general manager Leigh Warren says.
Bleasdale has won more than 75 trophies including the Jimmy Watson and was named Winery of the Year in 2024 by the Halliday team.
“We are proud of the vision of our forefathers that remains a tangible legacy at Bleasdale 175 years later,” says Helen Scutchings, fifth generation family member and Board member.
“Strong continuity would not be possible without the ongoing teamwork, both past and present, of those who operate in all aspects of the Bleasdale Estate nor without the loyalty of our supporters and lovers of our wines.
“In our 175th year, we celebrate all of those who have helped us to succeed.”
Other wines to be released in Bleasdale’s 175th year include a fortified Verdelho and commemorative magnums.
Verdelho was one of the first varieties Frank planted, making Bleasdale’s Verdelho vineyards some of the oldest in the world.
A limited release 175th Anniversary 9-Year-Old Fortified Verdelho ($35) will be released as part of the celebrations.
Plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon at Bleasdale date back to the 1890s, with Langhorne Creek one of the first regions in Australia to plant the Bordeaux variety.
To acknowledge the importance of the variety to both Bleasdale and the region, three limited edition Cabernet Sauvignon Magnums are being released.
The Celebration Magnum retails for $75, the Anniversary Magnum retails for $125 and the Limited Release Magnum retails for $175. All are hand numbered.
Photograph: Fifth and sixth generation Potts family members at the winery – From left: Teresa Tanner, Helen Scutchings, Trevor Potts, Robbie Potts and Damen Michelmore.
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