Bleasdale and the region of Langhorne’s Creek go hand in hand when it comes to Australian wine history. To many, Langhorne’s Creek is one of Australia’s best-kept secrets and Bleasdale is ours. Consistently supplying high quality fruit to wineries in other regions, Langhorne’s Creek began building its own reputation for premium wine production from mid-to-late 1800s. It was also during that time, around 1850, when Frank Potts settled in the town and began his working farm, vineyard and winery.
Frank Potts had a prolific life – at just nine years of age, he joined the British Royal Navy. By the time he left the Navy, he had already traveled around the world and seen every inhabited continent – all at the age of 18! Chosen Australia to be his next home, he initially turned to the vocation of ferrymaster as he was a bit of whiz with carpentry. Upon sailing over the Murray River at Wellington (Western Australia), he noticed the lushness and high agricultural potential of Langhorne’s Crossing. And there, as they say, became history.
Some may ask – where does ‘Bleasdale’ come in? First of all, Bleasdale was not family but an important member of the Royal Society of Victoria. Reverend John Ignatius Bleasdale had a keen eye on agriculture and although no one knows for sure how they met, the guess was that he and Frank really hit it off as friends. Frank admired him so much that he stuck his name on the wall!
After Frank passed away, his sons continued his legacy while improving the vineyards and winery. In 1948, A.B. Potts, Frank’s grandson, inherited the original Bleasdale sections and set up the business as a limited company with the family members as shareholders.
Oh, did we also mentioned that Paul Hotker was named Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by James Halliday? Needless to say, the best-kept secrets stay within the family.
We raise our (virtual) glasses to Bleasdale today, in celebration to their wonderful heritage and exceptional wines. Here’s to another 170 years!