Treasury Wine Estates has sold Rosemount, Ingoldby and Secret Stone to A.G. Oatley Wines, returning Rosemount to the family that founded it in 1969. The Oatley family has also acquired Murray Street Vineyards in the Barossa Valley.
The TWE sale covers the three brands and associated inventory. TWE will keep royalty-free rights to sell Rosemount in Europe for up to three years, with no immediate change to customer ordering arrangements in those markets.
The deal is the latest step in TWE’s plan to cut its portfolio from 76 brands to a priority portfolio of 30 global and regional brands. It follows the sale of Seppelt to Stonier owners in September, the handover of Rouge Homme to the Redman family in May, and Tollana.
TWE is focusing investment on Power brands, Penfolds, DAOU and Matua, and its Regional Heroes: Wynns, Pepperjack, Coldstream Hills, Squealing Pig, Frank Family Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard and Stags’ Leap Winery.
TWE managing director Australia & New Zealand and Europe, Angus Lilley, said the sale was a positive outcome for the three brands.
“Since we announced our transformation agenda last year, we’ve sold five brands and a range of non-priority assets as we focus our investment and resources to grow in key markets,” Lilley said.
“The Oatleys bring deep experience in Australian wine and are well placed to take Rosemount, Ingoldby and Secret Stone into the future. We’ll work closely with them to ensure a smooth handover for customers.”
Rosemount was founded by Bob Oatley in 1969, merged with Southcorp in 2001, and became part of TWE in 2011. A.G. Oatley Wines is owned by his son Sandy Oatley and granddaughter Nicky Oatley.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring Rosemount home to our family once again,” Sandy Oatley said.
“I worked with my father building Rosemount into a globally recognised Australian brand for over 20 years.”
Nicky Oatley said the family was not yet ready to share its plans for the brand.
Barossa and McLaren Vale vineyards
In a separate transaction, A.G. Oatley Wines has acquired Murray Street Vineyards at Greenock in the Barossa Valley. The purchase includes the winery, cellar door and 56 hectares across five titles on the Barossa’s Western Ridge, planted mainly with Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Murray Street was founded in 2001 by William (Bill) Jahnke and Andrew Seppelt and became fully family-owned in 2014 when Janai Brengman joined her father as co-owner. Murray Street winemaker, Ben Perkins, joins the A.G. Oatley Wines winemaking team.
“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,” Murray Street Vineyards co-owner, Janai Brengman, said.
The family has also recently bought Chris Hancock’s La Colline Vineyard at Chalk Hill, McLaren Vale. The 10.8-hectare property has 7.5 hectares of Grenache, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with vines aged from 25 to more than 80 years.
“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,” Nicky Oatley said.
A.G. Oatley Wines’ brands include Robert Oatley, Wild Oats, NOW. (Nicole Oatley Wines), Whipbird and Hancock. Winemaking is led by director of winemaking, Larry Cherubino, with the family’s Mudgee winery run by Debbie Lauritz. Sandy and Nicky Oatley also own distribution business Oatley Fine Wine Merchants.
