James Stewart Johnston planted the first vines at Craiglee in 1863 and built a beautiful winery on a steep slope near his home in Sunbury. The setup allowed the family to use gravity to transport and manipulate the wines. The years in early 1920 brought so many economic uncertainties that the family decided to sell their property to lamb production. With the support of John Brown Sr. of Brown Brothers, Patrick Carmody and his wife Dianne planted Shiraz and Chardonnay vines on the original site in 1976 and made his first vintage three years later. Later on, Craiglee became officially ranked as 'Excellent' on Langton's Classification of Fine Wines. Today, the wines are made from Estate-grown fruits only using the 150+ years old winery. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from a mere one hectare planted at the Estate.
