Established in 1982, Lenton Brae is a small family owned and operated Margaret River wine producer. Bruce Tomlinson, an Architect and town planner by profession was working on a sub-division of the Moss Wood Property when Bill Pannell, happened to comment on the virtue of the soil and site that had just been sub-divided. The lure of owning vineyards and producing wines in Margaret River was too powerful for Bruce to ignore, and although originally planned as a sea change rather than a career move he quickly found himself immersed in the task. Lenton Brae excels in the Margaret River specialities of blended Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and the varietals of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wilyabrup was the chosen location for the first vines planted in Margaret River. Pioneers included Dr Tom Cullity, Dianna and Kevin Cullen and Bill Pannel. Today Wilyabrup is acknowledged as the epicentre for superior Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon and superb Chardonnay and Semillon.
The typical soil profile is gravelly loam of depth between 500 -800mm over a clay base. The gravel facilitates water drainage whilst not supporting excessive vigour. The clay base retains moisture and encourages root penetration.
The climate in Margaret River provides superior growing conditions that are seasonally consistent and best surmised as Mediterranean. Rainfall is winter dominant, with approximately 80% falling between April and September. The prevailing dry conditions during the final fruit ripening period in early Autumn allow for low humidity and disease incidence.