Croser Takes Control of Smithbrook

Brian Croser, chief executive of Petaluma and one of Australia’s highest profile winemakers, has not only entered the race to secure mature vineyard fruit from premium Western Australian wine regions, but has thrown down the gauntlet to the newly-emergent Pemberton-Manjimup region in the state’s south-west. With Petaluma’s 51 purchase of Smithbrook, the region’s third-largest vineyard, Croser is set to challenge the entrenched local wisdom that the region is destined to become a specialist grower of chardonnay and pinot noir.

Petaluma’s takeover of Smithbrook follows hot on the heels of Southcorp’s recent acquisition of the premium Margaret River operation of Devil’s Lair, reputedly for a sum between $A8-11 million, and BRL Hardy’s continued vineyard expansion in each of WA’s premium areas. Its purchase values Smithbrook’s vineyard and surrounding land on its 107 ha property at $4.5 million. It retains an option to increase its ownership to 70 and Croser does not rule out the possibility of owning the vineyard outright.

Initially established by Bill Pannel, founder of super-premium Margaret River producer Moss Wood, Smithbrook remains 49 owned by a Sydney-based consortium whose other vineyard holdings include the Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in Burgundy.

‘Pemberton fruit ripens a month earlier than at Piccadilly Adelaide Hills, South Australia and two weeks earlier than the Yarra Valley Victoria’, says Croser. ‘And although its heat summation figures suggest a climate cooler than Coonawarra, its early start to the season means it’s not necessarily a cool climate for chardonnay and pinot noir which are harvested in February and early March.’

Croser will install a chilled juice and must processing plant at Smithbrook and will use the 1998 vintage as trial to see which varieties perform best. He half expects the later varieties of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz to win out. Although Petaluma’s intention is to persevere with the chardonnay and pinot noir presently sold under the Smithbrook brand, the company may yet establish a parallel brand using Bordeaux varieties. It has also to determine the fate of the 650 tonnes produced by the vineyard which to this point have been sold to other makers

With ample land suited to viticulture, there are currently around 580 ha of vines at Pemberton, located roughly midway between the Margaret River and Great Southern areas. Its largest maker is presently the Salitage brand owned by John Horgan, while its largest vineyard is a 94 ha development owned by BRL Hardy. Southcorp has closely examined the possibility of establishing a vineyard base there.

Pemberton’s reliable rainfall and free draining, ironstone and gravel soils of low fertility have helped it become an important grape supplier to wine makers based in other regions, several outside WA. The ripe, juicy flavours of its fruit is commonly deployed to beef up and add complexity to WA multi-regional blends or wines made elsewhere in the permissible 15 of fruit permitted from other regions under Australian labelling regulations.

Expect Brian Croser’s arrival at Smithbrook and his anticipated future role as a regional champion, not to mention the fact that Len Evans is again on Petaluma’s payroll as a public figurehead, should ensure that Pemberton becomes as well known as the more established premium WA regions. ‘Pemberton is as yet unproven’, says Croser. ‘We haven’t yet seen what it’s capable of. The best us yet to come.’ Please login to post comment