Discover the Millbrook Regional Range
Celebrating alternative varietals from Western Australia's best wine regions.
Just a 50-minute drive south-east of Perth, arriving at Millbrook is like an oasis from the hustle and bustle of city life. Tucked away in the Perth Hills near Jarrahdale, Millbrook is a boutique winery and award-winning restaurant.
The Fogarty family established the winery two decades ago, however the first vines on the property were planted in 1865. These days there are over eight hectares of vineyards planted on the property with a range of mainly Rhone varietals, such as Viognier, Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre.
Millbrook Winemaker Emma Gillespie is also passionate about celebrating some of the alternative varietals from vineyards across Western Australia’s best winegrowing regions. From this desire came the Millbrook Regional Range.
Alongside Chief Viticulturalist John Fogarty, Emma sources fruit of exceptionally high quality from expert growers across the state. In this way, the Regional Range encompasses seven vibrant, expressive wines, handcrafted from alternative varietals across WA’s best wine regions: Perth Hills, Margaret River, Geographe, Great Southern and Swan Valley.
This is a range we are very excited to share with you, as we introduce each of the wines in more detail over the next few weeks.
We are also offering a curated discovery pack which will include six wines in the Millbrook Regional range. The discovery pack will be available to purchase through our online store here.
Millbrook Regional Range
While most Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River is blended with Semillon in the well-known SSB wine style, Emma wanted to show off the great depth of fruit flavour, alongside the freshness and lively acidity, that is so unique to Sauvignon Blanc from this region. In doing so, she has created a pure varietal expression thattruly represents the terroir of Margaret River.
Whilst this varietal is famous for Vouvray in the Loire Valley, France, the Swan Valley is known as the capital of Chenin Blanc in Australia, with the first vines being planted over 100 years ago.
Winemaker Emma wanted to produce a Chenin Blanc wine which perfectly captures the distinctive soil, climate and geography of the Swan Valley. This single varietal wine is a beautiful ripe, fruit forward expression of Chenin Blanc, with a zesty natural acidity.
Geographe is still relatively unknown as a wine destination in Western Australia, however it won’t stay that way for long. Only 1.5 hours south of Perth, the region’s microclimate is producing some of the most diverse expressions of alternative varietals in WA.
One of those varietals is Tempranillo, a varietal most commonly associated with Rioja wines in Spain, but as John Fogarty and Emma Gillespie have discovered, extremely well-suited to the Geographe area producing the ripe yet silky, delicate and mouthwatering wine in this range.
The Tempranillo varietal is also used to produce the Rosé in the Regional Range. The Geographe climate provides warm days suitable to ripen the fruit, as well as cold nights which help to retain vibrant natural acidity in the fruit. With delicate, hands-off winemaking, the Tempranillo produces a pale blush wine with a refreshing, crisp palate found in only the very best Rosé.
This wine represents the best Viognier fruit sourced from both the Great Southern and Perth Hills wine regions, producing a wine equal parts generous on the palate (Perth Hills) with bright and perfumed aromatics (Great Southern). This style is a real reflection of a skillful winemaker and shows just how suited this alternate varietal is to Western Australia.
This variety had its origins in southern Italy and the island of Sicily, with this wine made in the similar Mediterranean climes of Margaret River. Winemaker Emma says she loves being able to take the Fiano grapes "in a style direction of my choosing" ... that being a bright, fresh, fruit-driven wine with subtle texture that makes it a great pairing with food.
This wine was made famous in Rhône, France as a renowned blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre, and with a similar climate in Western Australia, these varietals are flourishing. The Grenache and Mourvèdre are from vineyards in the Geographe region, lending a plush mouthfeel and rich fruit flavour. The Shiraz is sourced from the Great Southern region imparting finesse and spice to this alternate varietal blend.
To taste the wines of the Regional Range, shop the discovery pack here.