Rob Mann has gone a long way to get back where he started; he's a forward-thinking high-achiever with a strong sense of self who's working extremely hard to efface any notion of ego or fashion from the wines he grows.
His wines are produced under the Corymbia label, which he runs with his wife, Genevieve. Gen is a gem; she shies away from the limelight but is an exceptionally intelligent, sensitive winegrower. She was a scholar at the Len Evans Tutorial the same year as me; it's always a pleasure to talk and taste wine with her. Their key wines are a Chenin Blanc and Tempranillo/Malbec blend from their vineyard in Swan Valley, about a half-hour drive from Perth, and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on their Calgardup Vineyard beside Redgate Beach, Margaret River.
The name Corymbia derives from the blossom of the Marri tree, which is depicted on the labels designed by Rob's sister Emma. The flower's filaments depict the temperatures and rainfall levels of the 12 months of the vintage year. Supposedly, you'll find the Marri tree growing in soils that are good for grapes. This kind of locally rooted, holistic thinking is typical chez Mann, as is the linkage to family, err, tree.
And in this regard, Rob hails from WA wine royalty. He is the great-grandson of winemaker George Mann and the grandson of Jack Mann. The latter put Swan Valley on the map, famously working 51 consecutive vintages for Houghton. This winery's flagship wine is called Jack Mann and is synonymous with the Frankland River region within the Great Southern. This is another area Rob namechecks; he has won extremely high praise forthe wines he makes for the Swinney family down there.
Back to the Mann clan, Rob also mentions his uncle Dorham, whose Mann winery is in the Swan Valley, just like Lamont's winery, which his aunt Corin established. Rob's late father, Tony, was a revered leg spinner who played cricket for Australia and was remembered by many as the first nightwatchman to score a century for his country. There is not enough space here to discuss cricket's arcane terminology (my suggestion is that you just get into it—like, in deep); suffice to say, the players Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, John Inverarity and Sir Garfield Sobers are household names to those who love the sound of leather on willow. (And I'm not explaining that, either.) Tony's nickname was Rocket, on account of his powerful arm and a pun too good to miss. Rob and Gen's Chenin and Tempranillo/Malbec grow on Rocket's Vineyard, where Rob's mum Lyn serves legendary scones to lucky visitors.
A few non-family members also crack a mention. Rob speaks about his great university friend, Ben Glaetzer, who makes wines under his own name from old vines in the northern Barossa. Another formative experience was with Hardys at Stonehaven and Tintara. It's far from the first time the hotbed of Hardys talent has been mentioned on the podcast. Peter Dawson, Simon White and Stephen Pannell were all key figures in that chapter. It was late sparkling wine champion Tony Jordan who plucked Mann from there for the role at Cape Mentelle in Margaret River in 2005. That winery was founded by industry pioneer David Hohnen and his brothers Mark and Giles, while David's daughter Freya is also mentioned. Rob's role in the Napa Valley was with Newton Vineyard. Like Cape Mentelle, Newton Vineyard came under the umbrella of luxury group LVMH. Sadly, the Calistoga-based estate is permanently closed, a victim of devastating wildfires in 2020.
Another sour note was Rob's experience with the Brettanomyces yeast, a unicellular fungus commonly causing microbial spoilage in wine. If it appears in your wine, it may obscure true and appealing aromas on the nose and strip the palate of its fruit, thus magnifying other elements and making the wine appear unbalanced. In more severe cases, it can give off deeply unpleasant aromas and flavours often likened to Band-Aids, sweaty horses, befouled barnyards and worse. Australian winemakers' understanding of Brett—and loathing of it—has led to a severe decrease in incidence over the past couple of decades. Meticulous cleaning and sanitation throughout the winemaking and maturation processes are key. The sparing, well-timed use of sulphur dioxide remains the friend of growers who want their wines to show their true colours without running the risk of spoilage.
On a brighter note, Rob alludes to his friendship with Simon Osicka and Andrew Marks—you can find out more about this trio here.
