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Distribution

Margaret River

As one of Margaret River’s ‘founding five’ wineries, Cape Mentelle pioneered many of the region’s renowned wine styles and today is a benchmark for the quality of the region’s wines.

Australia

Western Australia

South West Australia

Cape Mentelle Vineyards

Alicante Bouschet

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Chardonnay

Grenache

Malbec

Mataro

Merlot

Petit Verdot

Sauvignon Blanc

Sémillon

Shiraz

Viognier

Zinfandel

Raised in the wine region hub of Adelaide, Penny discovered wine through weekend winery tours in her university days. Drives to visit country friends and family were always combined with cellar door stops, which included tasting a wide range of whites, reds and ports.

Penny has over 20 years of experience in the wine and hospitality industries, starting in food and wine service then moving into training front of house staff. Having qualified as an accountant, she joined Deloitte in Adelaide, focusing on agricultural clients including key wine clients. Highlights from her experiences at Deloitte included standing on top of the tallest wine tanks in the Barossa Valley, taking in the spectacular views. In 2010, Penny joined Cloudy Bay Vineyards in New Zealand as Operations Controller, responsible for supply and financial forecasting, reporting and compliance.

Penny moved to stunning Margaret River, Western Australia in 2020, joining Cape Mentelle Vineyards. She is pleased to have discovered such wonderful wines and people at Cape Mentelle, and beams even more than her usual smiley self when speaking about the Cape Mentelle Chardonnays.

At Cape Mentelle, Penny is responsible for driving the development and delivery of brand and business strategies, whilst ensuring the wellbeing of all those connected to Cape Mentelle. She is a passionate business woman, focused on all aspects of sustainability in business outcomes.

Penny Dickeson

Wine industry pioneer David Hohnen and his brothers Mark and Giles established Cape Mentelle Vineyards in 1970. Our phenomenal Cape Mentelle journey started small with just 16 hectares of vines planted on what is now referred to as the ‘Wallcliffe Vineyard’. In the early years David Hohnen experimented with grape varieties including shiraz, cabernet, zinfandel, sauvignon blanc and semillon. Many of these original plantings are the source of the distinctive wines that have come to characterise Cape Mentelle. The winery’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced primarily from the original Wallcliffe Vineyard.

In 1983 Cape Mentelle won the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial Award for the best one year old dry red wine, and cemented its position as a premium wine maker with another win in 1984. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is now widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading cabernets.

David Hohnen

A true local, born and raised in the South West of Western Australia, David began working in vineyards at 18 which sparked a passion for wine and viticulture. He continued to work for local wineries while completing his Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Oenology at Curtin University.

Aside from his experience in Margaret River, David has also worked in the Rutherglen and Great Western regions of Victoria and in the Rhone Valley, France. Joining Cape Mentelle in April 2014, David shares our dedication to sustainability and innovation. With over 20 years wine experience under his belt, David is focused on creating a strong, proud and passionate team. David was the winner of the 2020 viticultural excellence award at the Margaret River wine show.

David’s ongoing ambition is to ensure that the Cape Mentelle vineyards provide our winemakers with grapes of the highest quality and unlocking the secrets of growing premium Cabernet Sauvignon. When he is not in the vineyards he enjoys spending time with his young family and exploring the beautiful remote coastlines of the region.

David Moulton

A referral to Pierro winery in 2008 led Coralie to Margaret River and provided a platform for her to discover the incredible diversity of whites and reds in this region, with its ideal climate and maritime influence.

Coralie commenced her winemaking internship in Bordeaux at Chateau Cheval Blanc in Saint Emilion & Chateau Beychevelle in St Julien in Medoc, after studying a Masters of Oenology and Viticulture with a National Degree of Oenology at Agro-Montpellier. This pursuit of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon eventually led her to Cape Mentelle in 2015. Married to an Australian, Coralie has now settled in Margaret River and is conducting her twelfth local vintage and fifth with Cape Mentelle. When not in the cellar or vineyard Coralie likes to spend time with her young family and enjoys running her dog and riding her horse.

Coralie Lewis

Red Blend

Shiraz in Margaret River is a hidden gem worth seeking out. It displays the varying growing seasons very clearly, speaks loudly of the place it comes from and the ocean that surrounds it. It affords the winemaking team a plethora of choices in terms of whole berry and bunch inclusion, co-fermentation possibilities with viognier and maceration regimes. It rewards with a depth and savouriness unlike any other region in Australia.

Representing our finest selection of shiraz from our estate vineyards expressing clearly varietal and vintage, and only made in the best of years, this wine is the pinnacle for us of this noble grape in a cool elegant corner of Australia. 

Two Vineyards Shiraz

Grenache is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes varieties, thought to originate from Sardinia and spreading to northern Spain and southern France where its fame became well established. To find it in cooler climates is difficult but so rewarding; to explore the deep aromatics and forest floor complexity of Margaret River Grenache is a real treat!

White

Margaret River has established an international reputation for exceptional Chardonnay. The Cape Mentelle style draws inspiration from traditional methods to deliver a wine displaying aromatic complexity and a finely textured palate with a long, clean finish.

Merlot Blend

Every Wallcliffe red wine is a limited edition bottling that celebrates the highlights of the vintage, the finest parcels of fruit and the best barrel selection. Explore our diverse and surprising Margaret River terroir with the best varietal blend each season!

Wallcliffe Merlot Petit Verdot Malbec

Shiraz Blend

Shiraz and cabernet sauvignon have been blended in Australia since the late 19th century, in a style that uniquely combines the plush and savoury notes of the shiraz with the elegance, length and structure of the cabernet.
With this wine, Cape Mentelle reconnects with Australian wine traditions and blends these two outstanding varieties from the Margaret River region, creating a rich, deeply textured and complex wine.

Trinders Shiraz Cabernet

Driven by a desire to explore our extensive cool climate Sauvignon Blanc sources, we created this small blend from some of our finest parcels to illuminate the fruit purity and varietal expression of our special sites. A wine of tension and drive, it demanded its own bottling, providing immediate enjoyment, or rewarding careful cellaring.

Cape Mentelle takes a non-interventionist approach towards this classic Margaret River blend allowing the region and varieties to speak with loud, clear voices, aiming to preserve fruit intensity and purity. The style accentuates the fresh, vibrant fruit characters of both varieties with the added complexity and palate weight offered through several months of aging on lees; the land and ocean vividly expressed.

Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Rosé

Cape Mentelle Rosé is a fresh, vibrant expression of the typical dry rosé style. It’s one of the favourites of the winemaking team as we are able to play with varieties not planted on our estate and of vineyards from different areas in the local region. We have fun with it; and that’s its true intent; fun and flavourful, enjoyed with friends.

Sauvignon Blanc Blend

The Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is a timeless classic blend produced from our Wallcliffe vineyard established in 1970. In Margaret River, both varieties find a rare and complementary expression: while the sauvignon is intensely fruity but also focused and mineral, the semillon is generous and textural. The winemaking approach relies on the selection of our most exceptional fruit and is mostly hands-off to showcase the terroir and the vintage expression, light-handedly supported by our most respectful choice of French oak.

Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Cape Mentelle has a rich history of exceptional quality and consistency with Cabernet Sauvignon, from a pioneering producer in Margaret River in the early 1970s to a benchmark winery today.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon is the culmination of an intensely detailed approach to our vineyards and grape selection. From our vigour and soil mapping techniques to the identification of select parcels and hand-harvesting bunch by bunch, we ensure gentle handling through every stage of production.

A grape variety our founder, David Hohnen, fell in love with whilst studying in the US in the early 70’s. He brought his new discovery home to be planted in 1974 on the Wallcliffe Estate Vineyard. This fickle variety demands great attention viticulturally, requiring a high bush vine trellis with plenty of space and air for the large compact bunches. It has become a cult classic for us, making a powerful yet fresh version of this ancient variety, enticing its followers each year to return and enjoy.

Cape Mentelle Vineyards

Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia

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