McWilliam appoints chief winemaker

By Lucy Britner

Published: 03 May, 2013

McWilliam's Wines has appointed Jim Chatto to the role of chief winemaker, based at Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley.

Chatto is the fourth chief winemaker to be based at Mount Pleasant since Maurice O'Shea established the Hunter Valley winery in 1921.

He is to be responsible for the winemaking and stylistic direction of all McWilliam's wines across its Australian portfolio. His appointment follows the retirement of Phil Ryan in 2012.

Chatto is to work with senior winemakers at each site and he joins the team following time spent as a consultant with McWilliam's throughout the 2013 vintage.

He said: "Mount Pleasant's place in the story of Australian wine is significant and having had the rare privilege of tasting some great O'Shea wines, I'm aware of the gravitas the role carries, the enormous responsibility to honour the legacy of Maurice O'Shea and the individuality of each Mount Pleasant site, as well as the broader McWilliam's brands."

Chatto joins McWilliam's from Pepper Tree wines where he has held the position of chief winemaker since 2007. He has 20 vintages of Hunter Valley winemaking experience.

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