Well-Known Australian Shiraz Producer Sold
Mount Langi Ghiran in Victoria was purchased by the owners of Yering Station.
The Rathbone family, which owns the 45,000-case Yering Station winery in Australia's Yarra Valley, has acquired Mount Langi Ghiran, known for its peppery Shiraz from central Victoria. The sale includes the brand, the winery and vineyards.
The purchase price was not disclosed, but earlier this year, published reports valued the 50,000-case winery at A$20 million to A$25 million (US$11 million to US$14 million). Started in 1969, Mount Langi is known for its crisp, vibrant style of Victorian Shiraz, distinct from the big, broad wines of South Australia. German businessman Ricky Hess, a former managing director of German company H. Sichel Sohne, which produces Blue Nun, held the majority interest in Mount Langi since 1996.
That same year the Rathbones bought Yering Station, which had been started in 1988. They built a modern winery and revamped the vineyards to create one of the most successful independently owned wineries in Yarra Valley, a picturesque and tourist-rich region northeast of Melbourne. Darren Rathbone, the family member most involved in running Yering Station, said Trevor Mast would continue to make the wines at Langi. He had owned 25 percent of the winery.
Mount Langi makes about 10,000 cases of Shiraz, its best-known wine, but also makes Pinot Gris, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Yering Station, best-known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, makes a wide range of wines from five Yarra vineyards, including Yarrabank, a sparkling-wine venture with Champagne house Devaux.
Another familiar central Victorian winery also changed hands recently as Rémy-Martin, the French Cognac house, divested itself of its 125,000-case Blue Pyrenees estate. The buyers were Sydney businessmen Bill Anderson, a property developer with investments in hotels and liquor stores, and John Ellis, a bank investor. The purchase price was reported to be around A$20 million (US$11 million).
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Check our recent ratings of Mount Langi Ghiran, Yering Station and Blue Pyrenees wines.
