Iconic vineyard sold for $23.5m
The 40ha Rotherwood vineyard estate in Sutton Forest has been sold for $23.5m. Picture: Facbook
The 40ha Rotherwood vineyard estate in Sutton Forest has been sold to restaurateur Ian Pagent and his wife Maryanne in an off-market deal.
The estate with a seven-bedroom 1880s homestead fetched $23.5m.
It was sold by Ken Cooper, who planted Rotherwood mostly with pinot vines in 2007.
It wasn’t his intention to start a wine label when he first moved his family to the Southern Highlands property, but Cooper once told the Telegraph the lush open paddocks “just called for grapevines”.
Overcoming the complexity of the cool-climate challenges, Cooper’s diligence paid off when the 2016 NSW Wine Awards awarded the Rotherwood 2015 pinot noir its gold medal.
Pagent is the active co-owner of Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral Beach with his daughter Jessica Shirvington.
Ken Cooper on his Rotherwood vineyard estate in Sutton Forest which has just been sold. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski
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The historic Rotherwood dwelling was built by Christopher Bennett, the publisher of the Sydney Evening News, the Australian Town and Country Journal, and the Women’s Budget, and his wife Violet.
The Illawarra Highway property had last traded in 2003 for $6,250,000 after it had been restored by computer industry entrepreneur Geoff O’Reilly, who led Australia’s largest third-party PC memory maker Hypertec.
Rotherwood had cost $2.4m in 1999 when it was on 65ha when sold by former Wingecarrabie alderman David Le Merle and wife Ann.
Ian Pagent and his daughter Jessica Shirvington at Bathers Paviilion at Balmoral Beach. Picture: John Appleyard
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The Cooper family had previously owned nearby Munro Park.
Cooper recently purchased a three-bedroom sub-penthouse in the Quay Quarter, Loftus Lane development with views over Circular Quay through Kay & Burton agent Adam Ross.
The transfer documents reveal a $14m sale with no registered mortgage.
Despite it being an amalgamation of two apartments into a 298sq m space, Cooper recently put more than 400 Rotherwood household content items up for sale through Shauna Farren-Price of Lawsons Auctioneers.
Rotherwood at dawn. Picture: Facebook
The items included a Steinway grand piano bought in London in 1993 for £13,500, plus five pieces commissioned from bespoke British furniture maker David Linley.
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