The international success of Australian wine has
pleased none more than Leonard Paul Evans. Len, to his many friends
and admirers, was at the forefront of the drive to quality and
international recognition. This extraordinary man was not only
awarded honors by both Britain and Australia for his contribution to
wine, but also received the French Ambassador’s medal for
Personalite de L’Annee and in 1997 was Decanter Magazines “Man of
the Year.” Len was founder of and blender extraordinaire for The
Evans Wine Company, which was established to export wine to the
world. Long-time associ¬ate, and former CEO of Rothbury, Denis Power
handled the day-to-day operations of the company and since Len’s
death has taken over the reins. Bulletin Place Wines, was
established by Len in 1970, as a (mostly) private dining club for
wine lovers. Bulletin Place also housed what was at the time
Sydney’s best wine- shop, although the accountants were always
suspicious of the latter addition as the proprietor’s private
consumption ensured an annual loss. Bulletin Place, numbers 16-18,
which housed the club and wine shop, was built in 1832 and is said
to be the oldest commercial building still operating in Australia.
Bulletin Place once fronted Sydney Cove and goods from the sailing
ships were unloaded di¬rectly on to its dock, it having been built
as a warehouse for Mary Reiby, an emancipated convict. Convicts
provided the labor to fill in the foreshores of Sydney Harbour in
1856 and Bulletin Place is now a proscribed heritage building,
dwarfed by the skyscrapers of Downtown Sydney.
office (206)
332-1995