Mr Riggs was founded in 2001 as a collaboration between Ben Riggs (with decades of vintages at McLaren Vale’s Wirra Wirra under his belt and his mentor, Penny’s Hill proprietor Tony Parkinson. The winery is positioned at the premium end of the ladder, using Ben’s extensive contacts with growers to cherry pick fruit from Adelaide Hills, Langhorne Creek (internal link to LC region section) and McLaren Vale, among other sites. The year 2013 saw the demerger of the Galvanized Wine Group – the collective that oversaw Mr. Riggs’ operations, including his collaboration with Tony Parkinson. Ben is buoyed by his newfound freedom to polish and perfect the wines in their exciting evolution.
Mr. Riggs’ winemaking philosophy is to make unpretentious wines that express the essence of the vineyard and the region’s terroir in a style that Ben enjoys drinking; big, rich and complex, but also with finesse, texture and elegance, the latter not necessarily being traits Ben possesses.
Mr. Riggs wines are stamped with Ben’s considerable European experience, as well as his unique vision for wines produced on his hallowed South Australian stomping ground.