History

Willow Bridge Estate is family owned and operated by principals Jeff and Vicki Dewar, who bought the picturesque 180-hectare hillside property in 1996 after an exhaustive search of the state for the ideal vineyard site from which to realize their shared vision of producing world class wines which are both opulent and accessible.

The estate is located in a hidden jewel of an area known as the Ferguson Valley which, at that time, was home to only a few small vineyards. Immediately planting 60 hectares of vines and then building a state of the art winery (the first winery in the area) in time for their first vintage in 2000, established Willow Bridge as the pioneering estate of the area and demonstrated the family’s confidence in the property and resolve to see their vision become reality.

From the release of their very first wines, their efforts were quickly rewarded with critical acclaim, wine show success and most importantly, glowing feedback from wine lovers.

The Vineyard

The estate is sited high on the western watershed of the Darling Ranges, with our vines enjoying spectacular views over the coastal plain, and looks down on the neighboring Margaret River wine region across the waters of Geographe Bay. The vineyard is 25km from the coast as the crow flies, and receives the cooling afternoon sea breeze during summer. At an elevation between 230 and 280 meters, the estate is nearly two degrees cooler than the coastal plain.

Annual rainfall is relatively high at 900mm, however 80% of this falls over four months in our winter when the vines are dormant. The summertime growing season is very dry and sunny, allowing the area consistency between vintages possibly unrivalled in the world of wine.

The soils here are all “Marri soils”, named for the regal Marri trees they support. Weathered from granite over some 2500 million years, such pockets of freedraining deep red gravelly loams over clay are prized by vignerons in Western Australia.

The 60 Ha of vineyards were established in 1997. Planting around two hills allowed us to match vine varieties to the choice of a full 360°of different aspects to the sun. The region is phylloxera free, so all vines were planted on their own roots and planting along the ridge line has minimised the risk from spring frosts. Initial plantings of the classic French varieties of Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, have since been bolstered with small blocks of exotic Viognier and Tempranillo.

The Region

Located in south west Western Australia between the capital city Perth (pop 1.7 mil), and Margaret River, the Geographe Wine Region has a diverse range of viticultural environments tied together by the consistency of their moderate, maritime influenced climate. Vineyard sites range from highly maritime vineyards in sea-level limestone sands on the broad coastal plain, to all a range of high quality soils and local climatic influences in the hills of the Darling Range which runs the length of the region some 20 to 30 km inland.

One exceptional viticultural area in the hills of the Geographe Wine Region is the Ferguson Valley, the home of Willow Bridge. This incredibly picturesque area is just 20 minutes from the coastal city of Bunbury (pop 70,000) and around 2 hours south of Perth.

This area is blessed with the unique combination of a growing season climate which is extremely sunny and dry, yet where the temperature is moderated by both cooling ocean breezes and elevation. This, combined with an abundance of the red gravelly loam soils so prized by Western Australian vignerons, makes for a region where wine quality and consistency are virtually unconstrained.

Aside from wineries, The Ferguson Valley is known as one of the most naturally beautiful areas of Southwest Western Australia – one of only 34 listed Biodiversity Hotspots worldwide. Willow Bridge itself borders the 17,000 Ha Wellington National Park which is home to some of Western Australia’s most magnificent eucalypt forests; jarrah, marri and yarri (Blackbutt), as well as spectacular gorges, waterfalls and trails.

The valley also is home to a number of micro-breweries and galleries.

The Winery

A modern, fully insulated winery was built for Willow Bridge’s first vintage in 2000. Designed with energy efficiency in mind, it is also set up for all the traditional small batch winemaking techniques from whole bunch pressing and barrel fermentation of whites, to open topped, hand-plunged red ferments. This allows the winemaker to respect all the subtle variations from within the vineyard blocks and gives great flexibility in order to achieve the desired results.

After ten years winemaking experience based in Margaret River and including a broad exposure to fruit from the Geographe region, winemaker Simon Burnell arrived at Willow Bridge for the 2010 vintage. With a passion for the great wines of the world, and setting the highest standards of quality control, Simon’s goal is to build on the fresh, vibrant and add an extra element of worldly sophistication to the rich and vibrant wines the estate is known for.

The Wines

Dragonfly Range

Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Chenin Blanc
Unwooded Chardonnay
Rose
Cabernet Merlot
Shiraz

The Dragonfly Range of wines are contemporary, stylish and exude drinkabilty.

Viticultural and winemaking techniques employed aim to preserve and highlight the fresh fruit characters each variety expresses from the estate.

Vibrant, rich and generous, these wines have developed a reputation for punching well above their weight in terms of value.

Winemaker’s Range

Fumè Sauvignon Blanc
Solana Tempranillo
Gravel Pit Shiraz Viognier
Pinot Chardonnay (Sparkling)
Sticky

The Winemaker’s Range wines show strong fruit definition in keeping with their origins. Their vineyards are selected for their ability to deliver characters typical to their varieties, but with that something extra which speaks of their unique terroir. The vines are managed through the season to concentrate these characters. Meticulous winemaking seeks to preserve this through to the glass and perhaps add an extra layer of worldly sophistication on the way.

Black Dog Shiraz

The name of the Black Dog Shiraz hails from our second vintage in 2001 when Cellarhands noted that the wine from our most spectacular hilltop block of estate shiraz suited the old expression being “as black as the inside of a dog”. The name caught on amongst family and friends, so today, provided vintage conditions deliver us a shiraz of suitable depth and concentration to do the name justice, a new Black Dog is born.

With a propensity for plush intensity already, the vineyard is meticulously maintained and restricted to miniscule yields to deliver fruit worthy of this, our flagship wine.

Winemaking is traditional, yet fastidious. Fermentation in small, hand plunged open fermenters and maturation in carefully selected small Burgundian oak barrels, delivers a wine which has the power to live up to it’s name, yet with a great deal of plush sophistication.