DAVID HANN
OWNER OF LENTEDAL VINEYARD ESTATE
“Janet and I are a bit partial to the sparkling – this is because it is refreshing to take with us on our regular walks at sunset to feed the animals that we have here at Lentedal.”
When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?
Coming from a background in Hampshire that was mainly involved in the dairy industry, I got to spend many school holidays on my uncle’s farm and a passion for agriculture and working outdoors took hold early on.
Please tell us about your career so far, including your education, work experience etc.
After a big family move to Aberdeenshire when I started high school, my focus shifted to the maritime industry, and I did commercial diving in the oil industry of the North Sea. While I loved the challenging nature of the work in the ocean, I began to realise that it was not going to lead to a sustainable family routine, and I studied Naval Architecture at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland. By then, Janet and I had been married, and our sons, Hamish and Angus, arrived in short order. After I graduated, Janet and I took the plunge to immigrate to Australia. Re-establishing ourselves as new arrivals in Perth took me through a few office jobs, but a desire to be outdoors with hands-on work took me back to offshore work. The big change came in 2009 when Janet and I decided to invest in a fifty-acre patch of land in Marybrook, which is now Lentedal Vineyard Estate.
What do you love most about being a winemaker?
I love the challenge of working the land, learning all the time, sometimes from my own mistakes, but mostly from some very generous local mentors on how to grow the healthiest fruit and nurture the very special soil that is the Marybrook loam. The vineyard provides an ever-shifting landscape that reaches and touches inside me, motivating me to grow.
What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?
It’s like asking me to choose my favourite child! We grafted our chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon onto a forty-year-old rootstock which came with the property, which was half of the original Marybrook Winery operated by Aub and Jan House. That operation was challenging as we had to remove original untreated Jarrah posts and trellis, and I had bought an old school second-hand Chamberlain tractor from the Wheatbelt, which was constantly bogged and had the turning circle of Queen Mary. Fortunately, Aub would come over with his tractor and pull me out. I am very proud of the chardonnay, as not only are our growing conditions the best, but Peter Stanlake, our winemaker, is renowned for his passion for chardonnay. We made our first blanc de blanc sparkling in 2012, with advice and support from Jessica Worrel at Firetail. A great result given we did the grafting in 2009.
Is there a specific process you follow when developing a new wine?
Supplementing the varieties the Margaret River region is renowned for (chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon) with tempranillo and nebbiolo have added some points of difference. We make a very delicious rosé from the tempranillo, as well as a very drinkable red wine to accompany our woodfired pizzas at the cellar door. Shiraz, muscat and pinot gris make up the rest of our varieties.
Is there any vintage you’re particularly proud of creating? Why?
The 2018 Vintage was the best we have seen in this region for twenty-two years. The conditions were perfect with a long mild ripening period with no rain events which led to near perfect anthocyanin counts in our shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. Guests can taste our 2018 shiraz in our ‘museum tasting’ at our cellar door when visiting us, which I believe is an outstanding wine.
How does the local climate/soil affect the wine you make?
Soil and climate are the essence of fruit produced. Fortunately, at Lentedal we are at the northern end of the Margaret River Region and benefit from being only 2-kilometres from the ocean, so we get that great maritime relief in the hotter weather. As for soils, we are in a very unique Marybrook soil which is rich and clay-based and has excellent water and nutrient holding capacities. The vines grow strongly due to the large potential rooting volume and available water. We are lucky to see large vine canopies and yields year in and year out.
Which of your own varieties do you typically indulge in?
Janet and I are a bit partial to the sparkling – this is because it is refreshing to take with us on our regular walks at sunset to feed the animals that we have here at Lentedal. We believe that our blanc de blanc stands out and we are pleased to be able to offer it here at the cellar door for events and parties, and we are proud of our collaboration with some of the local breweries who have it on their wine list.
Where do you see yourself in five years? How do you think your winemaking will evolve during this time?
We are focusing on bringing some young blood into the business, having recently signed up Tarun Victor-Gordon, who is keen to spend some time in the vineyard with me, while planning winemaking for the 2025 Vintage. Tarun brings twelve years of winemaking experience, along with financial and marketing skills needed to make the business sustainable. Our spray and fertilising approaches are very capably prescribed by Peter Schiller, so while not going fully organic branding, we are really focused on soil health.
Anything else youʼd like to add?
Overall, the unique offering to visitors to Lentedal is to combine excellent wine with a café functional pizza menu set in a very relaxing family friendly environment.