Bleasdale Blanc de Blancs

About Bleasdale Blanc de Blancs

Bleasdale Blanc de Blancs is a traditional method, cool climate Chardonnay aged on the lees for a rich complexity. Granny smith apple, biscotti, and almond.

About the Founder, Frank Potts

Born in England in Hounslow, England in July 1815, Frank Potts joined the British Navy at the youthful age of 9. He became a ‘Powder Monkey’ whose duty was to carry bags of gunpowder to the guns. After serving on the HMS Victory (which was being used as a training vessel at the time) for several years, Frank sailed on HMS Challenger from 1828 – 1833.

During this time he traveled to Australia, the Middle East, India, China, and back to Australia (Fremantle) before sailing back to England via South America to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. So, until the age of 18 Frank was raised in the British traditions of global exploration and achievement.

Frank came to the new colony of South Australia aboard the HMS Buffalo, alongside Captain Hindmarsh who would go on to be the first Governor of the state. Starting colonial life as a carpenter, Frank built some of the first houses in Adelaide. He then worked under the first harbor master, Captain Lipson, constructed his own ketch which he named the Petrel, and became a trader on Kangaroo Island, trading salt back to Port Adelaide.

The Birth of Bleasdale Winery

While on his way to Wellington to undertake a Ferry master position in 1849, Frank crossed the Bremer River and noticed the fertile floodplains of what was then known as Langhorne’s Crossing. Frank purchased the first Section of the new town of Langhorne Creek in 1850, and together with his new wife, cleared the land of its huge red gum trees and began farming.

When Shiraz and Verdelho were vines being planted a few years later, Bleasdale became the first winery established in Langhorne Creek.

Frank Potts liked building things – a home, a workshop, a winery, water pumps, floodgates, vats, a lever press, and a dynasty. When he added more land to his original holding, the vineyard area expanded and so the winery, and the family grew.

In his later years, Frank handed over the daily workings of the vineyards and winery to three of his sons and went back to boat building. He built three paddle steamers and a number of barges along with several yachts which he and his sons enjoyed racing on nearby Lake Alexandrina – very competitively.

In 40 years, the estate had transformed and the family became a significant part of the burgeoning wine industry in South Australia. The basis for a strong viable family estate was established.

Bleasdale Today

In the 1990s, there was a drive to double the size of the Australian wine industry to cement its place in the global wine industry. This started with a doubling of the area of vineyards planted and, along with major changes in the approach to water in the Murray Darling Basin, enabled Managed Investment Scheme projects to prosper, albeit temporarily. Along with other aspects of globalization, the effect on the wine industry has caused serious difficulties in operating viable businesses.

So far Bleasdale has weathered this storm by focusing on developing quality in the vineyards, increasing the range and quality of branded wines, seeking new opportunities by sourcing white grapes from the Adelaide Hills, and generally adopting a positive approach in difficult times.

In 2013, new shareholders invested in Bleasdale, helping to ensure the winery has a long and prosperous future.