Our Team
Bob & Maryanne McLeish
McLeish Estate was established in 1985 when Bob and Maryanne McLeish planted Semillon & Chardonnay on their 16 hectare property on DeBeyers Road, Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, 163km North of Sydney.
Today, after more than 39 years of producing premium quality warm-climate wines and having been awarded numerous trophies and medals at prestigious wine shows, the McLeish family continues to produce wines that capture the freshness and elegance that Hunter Valley wines are famous for.
In 1995, Bob McLeish and his wife Maryanne opened a cellar door. They have renovated and expanded the wineries facilities on the property.
“I was first influenced to drink wine when I was working as an engineer in Adelaide in the mid-eighties. The water and the beer were terrible quality so I turned to drinking wine” – Bob McLeish
McLeish Estate continue to produce a range of highly awarded wines. In 2016 McLeish Wines received the trophy to World’s Best Semillon at the London International Wine Challenge and Australia’s White Wine of the Year in 2014.
With the second generation of the McLeish family, daughter Jessica involved in the family winery. The future of the company is to continue producing some of Australia’s finest wines in Australia’s oldest growing wine region.
We encourage everybody to experience the essence of what the Hunter Valley has to offer by visiting us on the property that sits in the sub region of Pokolbin with a backdrop of the Brokenback Mountains, while enjoying our premium Hunter Valley wines.
Jessica McLeish
Jessica was born into the McLeish family winery, developing a strong connection to vineyard and winemaking from an early age.
She holds a Bachelor of Business (Human Resources) and a Master of Wine Business, with focus on oenology and viticulture. International experience gained while working a vintage at Château Carsin in Rions, France, where she was exposed to biodynamic and traditional winemaking practices.
As a key member of McLeish Estate, Jessica contributes to the continued success of the winery, with her influence reflected across the portfolio, including the estate’s award-winning Semillon.
Jessica has been actively involved in the Hunter Valley wine community for over 14 years, contributing to the Hunter Valley Legends Awards Committee, Hunter Valley Wine Show Committee, and Hunter Valley Marketing Sub-Committee. She has also worked with Wine Australia on trade visits and contributed to Wine Sense: The Art of Appreciating Wine (2014).
Jessica is an accomplished wine show judge, having completed the Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) through the Australian Wine Research Institute and holding a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines. She has judged at the Hunter Valley Wine Show, Sydney Royal Wine Show, and the International Wine Challenge in London.
