Cape Mentelle

Cape Mentelle was established in 1970 by David Hohnen alongside his brothers Mark and Giles, with the founding 16-hectare Wallcliffe vineyard planted on the south bank of the Margaret River near the Indian Ocean coastline. The estate name comes from Cape Mentelle, the coastal headland approximately 4 kilometres from the winery, named for French navigator Edme Mentelle. David Hohnen was the driving winemaking force and had trained at Fresno State in California before returning to Western Australia. Mark Hohnen managed the business and viticultural side, while Giles Hohnen handled marketing and sales. The estate joined Cullen Wines (1971), Moss Wood (1969), Vasse Felix (1967), and Leeuwin Estate (1973) as part of Margaret River's 'founding five' wineries that established the region's modern wine industry between the late 1960s and mid-1970s. Cape Mentelle's Wallcliffe site, named for the white limestone cliff overlooking the river, became one of the region's defining vineyard locations.

• Founded 1970 by David, Mark, and Giles Hohnen; 16-hectare Wallcliffe founding vineyard on the south bank of the Margaret River
• Estate name from Cape Mentelle headland (named for French navigator Edme Mentelle); Wallcliffe site named for limestone cliff overlooking the river
• David Hohnen trained at Fresno State, California; lead winemaker. Mark managed viticulture, Giles handled marketing
• One of Margaret River's 'founding five' (with Vasse Felix 1967, Moss Wood 1969, Cullen 1971, Leeuwin Estate 1973)

Cape Mentelle's defining historical achievement is the back-to-back Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy wins for the 1982 and 1983 Cabernet Sauvignons, awarded at the 1983 and 1984 Royal Melbourne Wine Shows respectively. The Jimmy Watson is Australia's most prestigious wine-show award for one-year-old red wines and at the time of these wins was the most-watched single-trophy result in the Australian wine industry. Cape Mentelle's back-to-back wins were the first Jimmy Watson Trophies awarded to a Margaret River winery, and the achievement directly announced Margaret River's quality potential to the broader Australian wine establishment, which had previously concentrated attention on South Australia and the Hunter Valley. The wins legitimised Western Australia as a fine-wine region capable of producing Cabernet Sauvignon at the highest national level, and they galvanised the next generation of investment and planting across Margaret River in the mid-1980s. The 1982 and 1983 Cape Mentelle Cabernets remain reference points in Margaret River history.

• Back-to-back Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy wins for the 1982 (awarded 1983) and 1983 (awarded 1984) Cabernet Sauvignons
• First Margaret River winery to win the Jimmy Watson Trophy; landmark recognition for the region
• Announced Margaret River's quality potential to the broader Australian wine establishment
• Galvanised the mid-1980s wave of Margaret River investment and planting

In 1985, David Hohnen and his brothers founded Cloudy Bay Vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand, applying the Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blending philosophy that had defined Cape Mentelle's white wine programme to the emerging Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc region. Cloudy Bay's first vintage in 1985 became one of the most internationally celebrated wines of the late 20th century and effectively created the modern Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc category. The Hohnen brothers operated Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay in parallel until both were acquired by Veuve Clicquot in 1990 (and subsequently became part of LVMH's wine portfolio in 2003 when LVMH consolidated Veuve Clicquot). The Margaret River-Marlborough connection through the Hohnen family is one of the defining trans-Tasman links in southern-hemisphere wine history, and Cape Mentelle continues to produce a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend that reflects its parallel Margaret River-Marlborough heritage. David Hohnen later founded McHenry Hohnen in Margaret River in 2004 with Murray McHenry.

• 1985: David Hohnen and brothers founded Cloudy Bay Vineyards in Marlborough, NZ; first vintage 1985
• Cloudy Bay applied Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blending philosophy to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
• Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay both acquired by Veuve Clicquot 1990; absorbed into LVMH 2003
• David Hohnen later founded McHenry Hohnen in Margaret River 2004 with Murray McHenry

Cape Mentelle's Cabernet Sauvignon is the historical flagship and the wine that won the back-to-back Jimmy Watson Trophies, and it remains a Langton's Classification benchmark for Margaret River Cabernet. The Wallcliffe label is the top-tier expression: a Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec components) sourced from the original 16-hectare Wallcliffe vineyard, named for the limestone cliff overlooking the river. The estate-tier Cabernet Sauvignon offers the same Margaret River structure at an accessible price point. Trinders is a second-label Cabernet blend, while the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon (the Margaret River signature white) provides the textural, citrus-driven white that links Cape Mentelle to the Cloudy Bay tradition. Chardonnay rounds out the white portfolio, and the 1972 Zinfandel plantings (among Australia's oldest commercial Zinfandel vines) produce a distinctive ripe-berried red that has been a Cape Mentelle quirk and collector item for five decades.

• Cabernet Sauvignon flagship: Langton's Classification benchmark; the wine that won back-to-back Jimmy Watsons 1983 and 1984
• Wallcliffe: top-tier Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend from the original 16-hectare founding vineyard
• Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon: textural, citrus-driven Margaret River signature white linking Cape Mentelle to Cloudy Bay
• 1972 Zinfandel plantings among Australia's oldest commercial Zinfandel vines; ripe-berried red as a collector quirk

Cape Mentelle's ownership history reflects the broader consolidation of Australian fine wine into multinational portfolios. Veuve Clicquot acquired Cape Mentelle in 1990, then was absorbed into LVMH (Moët Hennessy) in 2003 when LVMH consolidated its Champagne and wine holdings. Cape Mentelle remained within LVMH until 2023, when LVMH divested several Australian and New Zealand wine assets, with Cape Mentelle acquired by Endeavour Group (the Australian retail and wine group). Endeavour Group is the largest Australian retail wine business and the new ownership returns Cape Mentelle to Australian hands after more than three decades under European ownership. Throughout these ownership transitions, Cape Mentelle has maintained its founding-five identity, the Wallcliffe cellar door, and continuity of its Cabernet flagship. Andrew Forbes is the current chief winemaker. The estate continues to produce wine across Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and the heritage Zinfandel programme.

• Veuve Clicquot acquired Cape Mentelle 1990; absorbed into LVMH 2003 in the broader Champagne consolidation
• LVMH divested Cape Mentelle 2023; acquired by Endeavour Group (Australian retail and wine business)
• 2023 return to Australian ownership after 33 years of European ownership
• Andrew Forbes current chief winemaker; Wallcliffe cellar door remains the visitor anchor