In the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, stands an ancient monument dedicated to the Roman God of wine and grape harvest: The Temple of Bacchus. It’s part of the largest, best preserved temple ruins in the world. The Phoenicians had a deep respect for wine and being the original maritime traders, helped spread the love, and art of viticulture, to western Europe.

Many millennia later, this fertile valley would also be home to a young Sam Zein. While his family would end up moving half a world away, he never forgot the vine covered hillsides of his childhood.

It is what led him to Brookhampton, in the Geographe wine region of Western Australia. Just as Dr John Gladstone recognised that Margaret River’s soil and climate was similar to Bordeaux’s, Dr Sam Zein selected the Estate’s block for its similarity to the historic vineyards of the Bekaa Valley.

Like the Temple of Bacchus, Zein Estate is orientated east-west. What’s good for the gods is good for the vines, with each row perfectly positioned to soak up the energy of the sun. They are fed by nutrient and mineral rich rainwater, that is naturally filtered by the surrounding Jarrah and Marri forests. The gentle slope of the vineyard, ensures the soil remains well drained. The unique microclimate and the higher elevation, creates a stable growing season allowing the fruit to evolve with elegant and complex characters.

Great wine is made from the vineyard. Monumental wines are made in a vineyard that draws on history and knowledge of what this parcel of land produces.

As a teen, Sam Zein dreamt of one day having his own winery set on rolling hills. He even went as far as to sketch the label for his imagined Zein Estate. While the drawing was filed away in a shoebox, his passion for viticulture only grew stronger and stronger.

It would take decades, but in 2019 he and his wife Migle were finally able to make his vision a reality. And when he uncovered that original drawing, he was amazed by the similarities to the Zein Estate label.