Extension On A Rich History
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday April 12, 2006
THE three founders had a brief flirtation with the name Phylloxera Hollow, some locals dubbed it The Orgy House and its maiden 1973 vintage grapes were transported in the boot of Len Evans's Bentley for processing at Rothbury Estate winery.
These are just some of the colourful episodes in the story of the Brokenwood wine company, which celebrated its 35th anniversary last week. It was a special celebration because, at a time when hard-nosed corporate values dominate, Brokenwood has maintained its panache, spirit of fun and friendship, and genuine love of good wine. Brokenwood's staff and shareholders, along with 70 or so industry friends and wine media, marked the anniversary by opening a two-storey addition to its McDonalds Road headquarters in Pokolbin. The function and tasting area was named the Albert Room, in honour of Tony Albert, who died in 2000. Albert founded Brokenwood in 1970 when he joined fellow Sydney lawyers James Halliday and John Beeston in paying what was considered to be an outrageously high price for a four-hectare scrub-covered Pokolbin block next to the Hungerford Hill vineyard. The three city slickers and their friends caused great amusement among Pokolbin old hands by swapping their pin-stripes for overalls, hacking the scrub away and chopping into the unyielding clay to plant a vineyard in 1971. The partners, their families and friends dossed in rough dormitory accommodation and whiled away the Pokolbin nights with marathon card games, singalongs and loud music thus prompting The Orgy House tag. Thirty-five years on there are now 24 Brokenwood shareholders, with Tony Albert's shares passing to his family and John Beeston being the only surviving "original". Len Evans, Brokenwood's long-time friend and mentor, and James Halliday were on hand last week to reminisce and to praise the way Brokenwood has evolved since naming Iain Riggs as its first resident, full-time winemaker in 1982. ? AS a prelude to the Albert Room opening, another event demonstrated the special place Brokenwood holds in Australian winemaking. Iain Riggs organised a tasting of all 23 vintages of Brokenwood's flagship Graveyard shiraz reds and all 15 vintages of its ILR Reserve semillons. I joined Len Evans, James Halliday, Nick Bulleid and eight other wine writers in the tasting, which featured Graveyards from 1993 to 2006 and ILRs from 1992 to 2006. I have taken part in Riggs's retrospective tastings in 1990, 1995, 1998 and 2002, but this one was particularly memorable because it established that Brokenwood produces shiraz and semillon wines against which others can be judged. Graveyard vineyard was originally part of a 16-hectare block owned by the Hungerford Hill wine company, which called it the Graveyard Cemetery Block because the north-west corner was dedicated, but never used, as a cemetery for the Parish of Rothbury. Hungerford Hill planted shiraz and a small amount of cabernet sauvignon there in 1969, but in 1978 sold it to Brokenwood. Grapes from the Graveyard vineyard produced shiraz reds in 1980 and 1981 but it was not until 1983, in the wake of Iain Riggs's 1982 arrival in the Hunter from Hazelmere winery at McLaren Vale, that the first wine labelled Graveyard appeared. Since then, it has been made in varying volumes each year, except 1992. ? JUST on four years ago I picked the 1986 Graveyard as my outstanding wine of a tasting at which Graveyards were stacked up against same-vintage shiraz reds from such labels as Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Wendouree, Eileen Hardy and French wines from the Rhone. Last week the 1986 Graveyard again shone, with Len Evans giving it his top rating. Close behind, for me, were the 1991, 1998 and 2003 wines. My favourite was the 2000 Graveyard, my pick as the 2003 red wine of the year.
© 2006 Newcastle Herald
