It’s been 40 years since Bob and Maryanne McLeish first planted semillon and chardonnay vines on their 16-hectare property on DeBeyers Road at Pokolbin.

During that time they have weathered fires, floods and just about everything in-between.

A lot has changed in the Hunter Valley since 1985, too. When the couple opened an on-site cellar door in 1995, it was one of just 13 across the Valley. Now there are about 150.

Bob and Maryanne’s daughter, Jessica, grew up tending to the vines and processing fruit. She studied a Bachelor of Business before travelling to work vintages at Château Carsin in Rions, France, and completing a Masters in Wine Business covering oenology, viticulture and economics of wine.

Jessica is also a wine show judge and a wine educator.

“The new cellar door has been a work in progress since my parents first opened it to the public in 1995,” she said.

“A wonderful local painter is completely changing the exterior of the building, giving it a beautiful freshen-up, and it blends in beautifully with the skyline and the Valley’s colours.

“The growth of the business over the years has been very organic. It started off with horses and cattles as my parents travelled to and from their home in Sydney, then they moved up here for the lifestyle and planted the vines.

“Mum and Dad built the business from scratch so getting them to embrace change has always been a bit of a challenge – but they are now open to trusting me a lot more as I breathe some new life into it.”

Tradition and authenticity is important to the McLeish clan, and an important part of the McLeish Estate brand. The cellar door update is a case in point.

“We didn’t want to lose the essence of what it’s all about, the history and the warmth and the awareness that you’re somewhere that has been around for 40 years,” Jessica explained.

“We’re all about authenticity and our history. Our wines and our cellar door have a bit of heart and soul, some sentimental value.”

Jessica has worked with local designers on the cellar door, ensuring it retains its “warmth” and heritage while embracing some “modern touches”.

The cellar door will be unveiled at the McLeish Estate 40 Years Vintage Festival on Saturday, May 24. All are invited to attend the celebratory event, where there will be grape-stomping and barrel-rolling competitions, live music, a fire-cooked feast by chef John Ralley, a Garden Wine Bar, and long-table dining in an autumn setting.

Ralley will be steaming seafood in wine barrels and cooking venison over fire on the day.

For those not keen on driving, there will be a bus transfer from Wests New Lambton to and from the event, and locally within the Hunter Valley.

If you’ve never visited McLeish Estate before, you might be surprised by the uninterrupted views of the Brokenback Ranges it offers. It’s a very pretty – and quiet – pocket of the Hunter Valley.

Jessica will be on the road from June to August for the McLeish Estate Retrospective Tasting Tour which stops off at Alfie’s New Lambton on August 10.

“It’s about celebrating 40 years of McLeish Wines,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot of back-vintage wines that we regularly open for the public to taste at our cellar door, and we have expanded the food offering with cheese and meat plates, and also a grazing board built on local produce.”

The winery’s Semillon and Sushi Tasting Experience has been “a game-changer”, says Jessica, who introduced the concept last year. The next one is taking place this week, on Friday, April 18, alongside the Semillon Retrospective Tasting & Oysters Experience. Book online now to secure your seat in the cellar door.

And while you’re there, keep an eye out for Jessica’s young daughter, who is on track to continuing the McLeish family’s award-winning wine legacy.

“She starts school next year, and she comes out to the vineyard one day a week with me and absolutely loves it,” Jessica said.

“She has grown up playing cellar door with me, or playing winery. She tells me to stand at the door, so I do, and then she says to me ‘Welcome, what wine would you like to taste today?’ It’s pretty cute.”