Natalie Cleghorn appointed Chief Winemaker of Beresford Estate

Written By Campbell Mattinson

Acclaimed winemaker Natalie Cleghorn has been appointed chief winemaker at Beresford Estate in McLaren Vale.

Cleghorn’s past roles – which span 26 years – include stints at Yalumba, Katnook Estate and Mitchelton. She was the first female winemaker of Yalumba’s iconic The Menzies and, indeed, made the 2019 Yalumba Menzies – which won Best Cabernet in the 2021 James Halliday Cabernet Challenge.

"I am excited to join Beresford Estate and to lead its winemaking team through a new era of excellence," Cleghorn said. "The opportunity to craft wines that reflect not only the beauty of our vineyards, but also resonate with wine consumers from around the world, is very unique.”

Beresford Estate was founded in 1985 by Rob and Bronwyn Dundon, and includes 70 acres of vineyard.

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Campbell Mattinson is the founder of The Winefront business and is the former chief editor of Halliday Wine Companion. He’s published five books on wine, four of them bestsellers. He’s the only person to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once.

Beresford Estate vineyards in McLaren Vale.
Campbell Mattinson

This post was written by Campbell Mattinson. Mattinson is a former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of The Winefront business. He is the author of five books on wine – four of which were bestsellers (The Wine Hunter, the Big Red Wine Book 2008, the Big Red Wine Book 2009, and the Big Red Wine Book 2010).

Mattinson is also the founder of the Mattinson Photography business.

Campbell Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer for forty years. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the national Best Australian Sports Writing Award. In 2026 three of his photographs were short-listed for the World Food Photography Awards.

Campbell Mattinson, who is 100% independent, has tasted between 5000 and 10,000 wines each and every year for the past 25 years. He tastes blind, in comparative brackets, as often as is practicable.

Campbell Mattinson is a journalist, a photographer, a filmmaker and a wine critic. In all of these mediums his prime motive is to tell people's stories.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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