The rise of Murdoch Hill

It was 1998 when Charlie and Julie Downer jumped out of the wool industry and into the wine industry. They began planting the 20ha ‘Erinka’ vineyard at the family farm in Oakbank, in the Adelaide Hills, and launched their Murdoch Hill label that same year.

Winemaking was initially outsourced, mainly to the “very humble and fine” Brian Light in McLaren Vale. It wasn’t until their youngest son returned home with a winemaking degree from Adelaide and six years of winemaking experience that it was brought into the family fold.

Between graduating from Adelaide in ’06 and landing back at Murdoch Hill in ’12, Michael Downer had chalked up an impressive resume: four years at Shaw + Smith, plus stints at Cape Mentelle with Rob Mann, at Best’s Wines with Adam Wadewitz, and at Revenir with Peter Leske and the late Taras Ochota. A part-time job at East End Cellars while at uni, coupled with European vintages (including at famed Piedmont producer Vietti), had also delivered a grounding in the wines of the world.

Michael Downer.

Because of these influences, Michael “wanted to make something quite strikingly different,” in his first year back. As well as taking over the making of the estate wines, he introduced the Artisan Series – starting with the Landau Syrah and “some pinot I managed to find from some friends at uni” – which not only allowed him to play with fruit from across Piccadilly and the wider Adelaide Hills, but gave him space and time to “get the vineyard up to scratch,” he says.

By the ’13 vintage, Michael’s focus was 100 per cent on Murdoch Hill. But it probably wasn't until 2017 – "when my family realised that I could actually do this,” he jokes – that they invested properly in the winery infrastructure. With those investments, including a cellar door that opened in 2019, the wines and the brand really began to take off.

Over the years, the range has continued to evolve, and now spans three tiers: the core range, the Carriage Series (previously called the Artisan Series), which includes the Landau, the Phaeton, the Tilbury (all the wines named after horse-drawn carriages), and the premium Galactic Series, which includes the Rocket, the Apollo, the Orion and the Jupiter. Michael's brother Andrew, a graphic designer, is behind each wine's label.

The cellar door opened in 2019.

Today, around 80 per cent of the wines are estate-grown, across both the Erinka vineyard in Oakbank, and an 8.5ha site in Lenswood that the Downers acquired in ’21. While not certified, both are farmed with organic principles. “We’ve put a lot of work into reworking the vines, improving soil health, and getting the vines into balance,” Michael says.

After all, “For us, the vineyard is where the winemaking should be done,” he adds. “I do take quite an old-world approach, in terms of trying to produce the best expression of each vintage, but my philosophy is always evolving.

“We’re looking for a level of intrigue and interest, and absolutely food-friendly styles, of course, but ultimately trying to make wines that are delicious, enjoyable and expressive.”

See how Katrina Butler scored the latest release below.

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