ALBANY, GREAT SOUTHERN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Arguably Australia's most remote wine region, Albany has recently been added to Australia's official Geographical Indications index. It is one of five regions in the Great Southern zone, along with Porongurups, Mount Barker, Denmark (pending) and Frankland.

The Albany sub-region boasts approximately 100 hectares under vine and 12 vineyards, with six labels including Montgomery's Hill.

Father of Western Australia's wine industry, Dr John Gladstones, who originally recommended Margaret River as the Western Australian district with the most viticultural potential, now acknowledges the exciting future of the Great Southern, and particularly Albany, which he has likened to the famous Bordeaux district of Medoc.

Typically the region enjoys a cool Mediterranean climate with modifying maritime influences, and on annual rainfall of 800mm. The predominant soils are well draining gravelly loams.

Montgomery's Hill is situated on the edge of a plateau, on gently inclined slopes that run down to the Kalgan River. The base rocks are augen gneiss covered with rich red brown loams overlying sandy clay loams interspersed with ironstone, a soil profile considered ideal for viticulture.

MURRAY and IAIN MONTGOMERY

The Montgomery name is well known in the south-west of Western Australia where the family has farmed for three generations.

The brothers who grew up on the Kalgan property took different career direction - Murray into farming and politics, Iain into psychology and education in Tasmania.

Both have always had a passion for good wine, which led them, with their wives, to develop the Kalgan property, and rammed earth cellar door facility.

Murray Montgomery retired from state politics to pursue his passion and a new career in wine. A well-known figure in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, the area he represented in parliament for 12 years, Murray is a fervent spokesman for the rural sector and the local community. He holds numerous advisory positions and is a board member of the College of Agriculture in Denmark. He manages the family property with his wife Pamela.

The two brothers and their wives (Pamela & Joan) formed a family company (Cheyne Creek Pty.Ltd.) in order to produce and market the wines under the Montgomery's Hill label.

RAY WILLIAMS - VITICULTURIST

Raymond commenced his career at Goundreys in Mount Barker where he became responsible for the entire estate vineyards. Subsequently, with significant knowledge of the climate and soils of the Great Southern, he established his own viticultural consultancy. He now manages a number of independent vineyards including Montgomery's Hill which he helped plan and establish.

QUALITY CONTROL

Ray Williams runs a very strict operation as far as the total wellbeing of the vineyard is concerned.The Cellar door and storage area was built away from the vineyard on Ray Williams advice to keep the public away from the vines for prevention of disease reasons. Montgomery's Hill vineyard being very young is quite idyllically situated with the closest vineyard being 10kms from it. Consultants are employed during the winemaking process at Porongurups Winery to ensure a quality product is produced from the excellent fruit grown at Montgomery's Hill.