Why Ampersand Estates might just put Pemberton properly on the map

Sandwiched between Margaret River and the Great Southern, it’s often felt like the Pemberton and Manjimup wine regions have lacked attention nationally, and sometimes even within Western Australia. There are those names that have broken through, most notably Picardy, by virtue of both the reputation of their wines and the weight that the Pannell name carries in Australian winemaking. But arguably, what the region has needed is an estate experience that can both draw and hold visitors.

Enter, Ampersand Estates. Recently added to the roster of Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, the property joins just four other wineries on the west coast, including Margaret River’s foundational properties Vasse Felix and Leeuwin Estate. Established in 2020, the name and the outlook of both the winery and distillery may be new and forward thinking, but time is very much part of the equation, explains co-founder Melissa Bell.

Ampersand Estates.

As we walk the property, from the cellar door to the vineyard and a newly constructed greenhouse within their two-hectare Rainfall Distillery Garden, Melissa paints a vivid picture of this 56ha estate. The soil here is ancient, up to three billion years old, the main characteristics being Karri loam and lateritic gravels. Just 25km as the crow (or wedge-tailed eagle) flies from the Southern Ocean, the estate is set on the banks of the Donnelly River. The vineyard was originally planted back in the mid 1980s and the varieties that they’re working with now are chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, grenache, syrah and the region’s cold climate star, pinot noir.

“One of the advantages of really ancient soil is grapes have to work hard,” says Melissa. “They’re a bit perverse, in that the harder they work, the better the fruit is. We have about an inch of topsoil and then it's into black granite. Grapes will push their roots down. I think the deepest we've ever found when we pulled up a vine was eight metres into the granite.”

Melissa is of the opinion that a special property needs a special winemaker, and to that end they’ve completed their first vintage with Rob Mann, a part of perhaps Western Australia’s most noted wine dynasty. She says he's an “extraordinary chardonnay maker,” but the lure of Pemberton was partly because he had never made a pinot. “It's a banger, he did a very good job,” she says.

The estate grows chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and pinot noir, among others. 

The property was first formed around 1870, which is one reason that it’s now surrounded by national parks. “It's only because we're comparatively old, at least by European settler standards in Australia, that we actually have this spot,” says Melissa, referring to the fact that the national parks were created after the property was formed. Those European settlers planted citrus trees, pears, apples and more. She says that there are plantings on the property up to 170 years old, which, extraordinarily, are still producing.

These heirloom citruses, of which they have around 30 types, are put to work across gin and vodka production, under the Rainfall Distillery brand. Next-level bitterness comes through in the raw fruit compared to commercial equivalents, but it’s all part of a vision to build a closed-loop system. They are two years into growing juniper, which can take 10 years to produce a commercial yield, but it’s all part of a long-term commitment, says Melissa. Their goal, to create 100 per cent estate grown spirits.

Melissa Bell and Corrie Scheepers.

Meet either Melissa or her co-founder Corrie Scheepers and you understand the vision here. The friends previously built and sold a successful international consultancy business, and while they could have luxuriated on those spoils, they poured their talent for business and creativity into Ampersand Estates. A two-and-a-half-year renovation of the down-at-heel property now sees them with a modern cellar door, three expansive guest residences and an on-site winery.

While the often heard and humorous cautionary tale of the wine industry comes to mind ('How do you make a million dollars in wine? Start with two.'), there’s no denying the vision here. “One of the things we're hoping to share with people is this concept of a broader sense of terroir,” says Melissa. “So, when people come and stay at the estate, they enjoy the wines that come from this special property, drink the estate spirits, see our chef Facundo Salas at work with what's fresh on the estate. Your experience – food, wine, spirits – is an experience that could only be here.”

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