Len is a fourth generation Potts. His mother, Thelma Case (nee Potts), was the ninth child of Frank Potts the Second and grew up at Bleasdale. The Kimbolton property was originally part of the Bleasdale Estate, which was first planted back in 1917. Thelma’s brother Dudley owned the property until he was lost in World War Two. Thelma and her husband Henry bought the property from Dudley’s widow in 1946. The Kimbolton property has since been passed on to Len and Judy who continue to run the property today, with the hellp of their children Nicole and Bradley.
The Vineyard
The original vineyard (known as Kimbolton) on the alluvial floodplain was five hectares and the oldest plantings are 42 years old. Some of our Shiraz is picked from these vines.
Today the Kimbolton vineyard has grown to 17.3 ha comprising of Cabernet 6.1ha, Shiraz 8.2ha, Chardonnay 1.1ha, Zinfandel .2ha, Montepulciano 1.7ha.
The Montrose property was acquired in 2001 and was originally 14.8ha of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz varieties. The vineyard has grown to 37.5ha and chardonnay and sauvignon blanc are now among the plantings.
Whats in a name?
Kimbolton is a medieval town in Cambridgeshire England, from where Judy’s ancestors emigrated. Family tradition has seen the homestead and property bear the Kimbolton name, which has been passed down through the generations. The nameplate can be seen today on the front of Len and Judy’s house in Langhorne Creek.
We are extremely proud of our heritage and are very family focused, and our business has been based around this. So when it came time to design our wine label, we looked at our family history. As the focal point of the town is the former Kimbolton Castle now used as the school, we decided to use the school’s prominent purple colour as the colour of our name. Any of you lucky enough to score one of our earlier vintages (2000-01) might even recognise the castle.
