Oatley family back in charge of Rosemount

Rosemount Estate, once one of Australia’s highest-profile wine brands, is back under the ownership of its founding family.

A.G. Oatley Wines, owned by Sandy Oatley and his daughter Nicky Oatley, today advised it had completed the the return of the Rosemount brand to the Oatley family. 

The Oatleys also purchased the Secret Stone brand from New Zealand and Ingoldby from McLaren Vale. This followed their purchase of Murray Street Vineyards at Greenock, in the Barossa Valley. Prices were not disclosed. 

Founded by Bob Oatley AO BEM in 1969, Rosemount merged with Southcorp in 2001, and eventually became part of Treasury Wine Estates in 2011.

In the 1990s, Rosemount was a driving force in the Australian wine industry. It was renowned for taking Australian chardonnay and shiraz to global markets. 

“We are thrilled to be able to bring Rosemount home to our family once again,” said Sandy Oatley. “I worked with my father building Rosemount into a globally recognised Australian brand for over 20 years. 

"To have the opportunity to now work on the brand with my daughter Nicky is an extraordinary full circle moment.”

The transition of the Rosemount brand to A.G. Oatley Wines will be completed this month. 

Treasury Wine Estates has recently divested other labels including Seppelt, Tollana and Rouge Homme. 

A separate transaction saw A.G. Oatley Wines acquire Murray Street Vineyards. 

The purchase includes the modern winery, the popular cellar door and extensive vineyard holdings. Spanning 56 hectares across five titles on the esteemed Western Ridge of the Barossa Valley, the estate is a significant landholding in the heart of the Barossa. 

Founded in 2001 by William (Bill) Jahnke and Andrew Seppelt, Murray Street Vineyards became fully family-owned in 2014 when Janai Brengman joined her father as co-owner.

The Oatley family intends to build on the foundations already established at Murray Street, with a continued focus on vineyard quality, provenance and the character of the estate.

“Murray Street Vineyards has built an outstanding reputation in the Barossa, and we’re honoured to be its next custodians,” said Sandy Oatley. “As a family business ourselves, we share the values that have shaped Murray Street, and we look forward to building on the legacy Bill and Janai have created.”

The purchase deepens the Oatley roots in South Australia with the recent purchase of long-term friend Chris Hancock’s La Colline Vineyard at Chalk Hill, just behind the McLaren Vale township. 

"Our family has been involved in the industry for generations, and we remain incredibly passionate about Australian wine,” said Nicky Oatley. “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."

# Oatley family brands include Robert Oatley, Wild Oats, NOW (Nicole Oatley Wines), Whipbird and Hancock. Winemaking is led by Larry Cherubino, with Debbie Lauritz leading the charge out of the family’s Mudgee winery and vineyards - joined now by Murray Street’s Ben Perkins. Sandy and Nicky Oatley also own Oatley Fine Wine Merchants, an established national wine distribution business. 

Image: Nicky Oatley and Sandy Oatley. Credit: Robert Palmer