Now, Bob and Chris are back working together, and neither has lost the fire that brought them into the wine business in the first place. Bob bounced back with Robert Oatley Vineyards, based in Mudgee, and Chris is at the centre of the new operation with his old friend and employer, as deputy executive chairman of the new wine company. Joining them is Bob's son Sandy, as executive chairman.
I caught up with Chris recently in Sonoma, California, and he looks as fit, albeit a little older, than when we first met in the Hunter Valley in 1986. We talked about Robert Oatley Vineyards but I also wanted to hear from him about what had happened with Rosemount. His straightforward reply was a bit of a surprise. "With me being out of action for so long in the ‘90s [due to a life threatening battle with cancer] and, in fact with a fairly dire prognosis, Bob needed to boost the management side of the business, so he brought in Keith Lambert, his son-in-law, who grew Rosemount into a big financial success.