New owners are taking iconic Mornington Peninsula winemaker Stonier back to its roots.
Stonier was a family business when founded by Brian Stonier in 1978 and it is now back in family ownership after over 20 years as a corporate entity.
New owner Circe Wines is operated by three local families: the Drummond, McLeod and Thickins families.
Aaron Drummond, previously general manager of New Zealand star winery Craggy Range, is part of the group that acquired the winery, vineyard, and brand, from Accolade Wines in December last year and changes are already in place.
"Stonier is a pioneer and icon of the Mornington Peninsula and we are honoured to be its new custodians." Drummond says.
"I grew up on the Peninsula and Brian Stonier’s grandchildren were friends of mine. I have immense respect for Brian’s ambition and for what he achieved. After working all around the world in fine wine it is an incredible opportunity to finally come home and work with another iconic producer.
"Our vision for Stonier is quite simple. We are going back 20 years to Brian’s original ambition of cementing Stonier as one of Australia’s great fine wine producers. To do this we are investing in our farming, our people, and ensuring that nothing gets in the way of quality.
“We all have plenty of experience in the wine industry and are passionate about this as a long term, world class, family orientated fine wine project.”
There is a new team in place with Justin Purser having joined Stonier as chief winemaker in 2022 after a decade at Best’s Great Western, while on the vineyard side viticulturalist Tim Brown has experience with pinot noir at places like Bindi and Place of Changing Winds.
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