Sandy Oatley say his family is proud to once again be custodians of Rosemount, the famous wine brand his father, Bob, founded in 1969.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring Rosemount home to our family once again,” he says.
“I worked with my father building Rosemount into a globally recognised Australian brand for over 20 years.
“To have the opportunity to now work on the brand with my daughter Nicky is an extraordinary full circle moment.”
Nicky said about the Rosemount purchase, “It’s truly exciting to have the opportunity to work alongside my dad to reimagine a brand that holds such a special place in our hearts.
“We’re not quite ready to share what that looks like yet.
“For now, we’re just incredibly happy to have Rosemount back in the family and excited about what’s ahead.”
The Rosemount purchase from Treasury Wine Estates comes just a week after A.G. Oatley Wines’ purchase of Murray Street Vineyards at Greenock in the Barossa Valley.
Founded by Bob Oatley AO BEM in 1969, Rosemount merged with Southcorp in 2001, and eventually became part of Treasury Wine Estates in 2011.
In the 1990s, Rosemount was a driving force in the Australian wine industry.
Renowned for taking Australian Chardonnay and Shiraz to the world stage, Rosemount challenged conventions, embraced innovation and helped redefine perceptions of the quality, style and potential of Australian wine.
The Oatley family has also bought Secret Stone from New Zealand and Ingoldby from McLaren Vale from TWE.
Murray Street Vineyards includes a modern winery, cellar door and extensive vineyard holdings.
Spanning 56 hectares across five titles on the Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley, the estate is a significant landholding in the heart of the Barossa, specialising in classic varietals such as Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon and Viognier.
Founded in 2001 by William (Bill) Jahnke and Andrew Seppelt, Murray Street Vineyards became fully family-owned in 2014 when Janai Brengman joined her father as co-owner.
“Building Murray Street Vineyards has been a passion for our family,” said Janai Brengman.
“We are incredibly proud of the wines and community we have built over the past 25 years, and we are confident that the Oatley family will guide the brand into its next exciting chapter.”
The Oatley family intends to build on the foundations already established at Murray Street, with a continued focus on vineyard quality, provenance and the character of the estate.
“Murray Street Vineyards has built an outstanding reputation in the Barossa, and we’re honoured to be its next custodians,” said Sandy Oatley.
“As a family business ourselves, we share the values that have shaped Murray Street, and we look forward to building on the legacy Bill and Janai have created.”
The Oatley family also recent purchased long term friend Chris Hancock’s La Colline Vineyard at Chalk Hill, just behind the McLaren Vale township.
The 10.8 hectare property is planted with 7.5 hectares of A grade Grenache, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with vines ranging from 25 to more than 80 years old.
In recent years, fruit from the vineyard has contributed to a number of award-winning wines, including the family’s own Robert Oatley The Pennant and Finisterre Shiraz.
“Our family has been involved in the industry for generations, and we remain incredibly passionate about Australian wine,” said Nicky Oatley.
“South Australia is such an important part of the industry’s future, and these investments in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale allow us to play a meaningful role.
“I’m excited to work with our director of winemaking, Larry Cherubino, to keep innovating, buoyed by our recent success of my own label NOW (Nicole Oatley Wines), particularly our Swan Valley Chenin Blanc and Margaret River Cabernet Franc.”
Photo: Sandy and Nicky Oatley. Photo credit: Fiona Susanto.