Simone Furlong
STATE OF THE ART
At the helm of a leading winery that brings together premium wines, art and culture, Simone’s focus on family and teamwork helps her stay ahead of the curve.
Leeuwin Estate was one of Margaret River’s five founding wineries and today it’s one of the region’s most celebrated. It was established by Simone’s art-loving parents, Denis and Tricia Horgan, in 1973, and in 2011 Simone became Joint Chief Executive Officer, alongside her brother Justin. Recently her daughters became involved too. Simone sees herself as a custodian of the business and its precious vineyard site, caring for the land to create some of Australia’s best wines.
Family fortune
For Simone, Leeuwin Estate has always been about much more than the awards it wins. (And it wins a lot.) It is first and foremost a family business that brings together a passionate team around wine, food, art and music. As well as a vineyard and winery, Leeuwin Estate is home to an art gallery, an award-winning restaurant and music events.
“I think there’s something very special about working alongside your family in the wine industry,” says Simone. “Mum and Dad bought the property, the farm, when I was only two years old. So it’s been here for as long as I can remember.”
When Margaret River’s wine community was emerging around 50 years ago, the site of the Leeuwin Estate vineyard was found to be perfect for producing premium wine – especially Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. This precious land is still at the heart of the business.
At the helm of a leading winery that brings together premium wines, art and culture, Simone’s focus on family and teamwork helps her stay ahead of the curve.
“We’re very fortunate that if we work very creatively and naturally with that land, then we’re able to produce wines of a very high quality,” says Simone. “It’s about bringing the land to life in the bottle.”
Simone hopes that this will be her legacy, having brought “the right people around our land. None of us can do it without each other.”
Having travelled the world when she was young, and still regularly boarding planes to maintain and grow Leeuwin’s thriving exports, Simone is happiest at home.
“Margaret River is a spectacularly beautiful wine region,” she says. “It’s attracting some of Australia’s and the world’s finest winemakers. It’s an incredibly exciting time for Margaret River wine.”
As this world-class wine region develops, Simone and the Leeuwin Estate team continue to lead the way.
“Every vintage is another lesson in understanding site, understanding opportunity,” she says. There’s an incredible passion down here – the energy of everybody gets me up in the morning. I think the best is yet to come.”
“Everything we do at Leeuwin Estate comes from the land. It’s about bringing the land to life in the bottle.” – Simone Furlong
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