Our Team

The Man Behind The Brand: Darren Haunold

“This is one of the more remarkable new operations in the region, run by one of the more remarkable men in the industry.” Ray Jordan’s Guide to Wine 2006

Darren is the dedicated Managing Director of Wills Domain. Left a paraplegic after an accident in 1989, Darren’s contribution to the Margaret River wine region and his vision for Wills Domain is extraordinary.

He says:

“Our commitment to making the best wines, stems purely from our passion. It has been said that you can taste the love in our wines.”

Darren’s enthusiasm for the wine industry, passion for winemaking and entrepreneurial flair is the driving force behind the success of Wills Domain. He leads by example and inspires his carefully chosen team to excel.

Recognized as a Western Australian Business News “first amongst equal” and Scoop magazines “inspiration West Australians,” his contribution to Wills Domain is an integral part of the brands success. He believes however that he is only small part of the brands success and his team of dedicated professionals are what reinforces the brands integrity on a daily basis.

Our Winemaker: Bruce Dukes (B.Sc. Agric UWA; M.Sc. Vitic. Enol. UC Davis)

With over 20 years experience as a Winemaker, Bruce reinforces Wills Domain’s continuing commitment to quality.

Bruce has an intimate knowledge of the Margaret River wine region’s terrior and climate, having worked in the region for most of his career. He also has international winemaking experience inlcuding time spent at Niebaum-Coppola in the Napa Valley, California.

Bruce has been hand-crafting Wills Domain wines since the wineries inception, shaping them to become the outstanding wines they are today. He approaches viticulture and winemaking as a holistic entity, striving to conduct the best practices in winegrowing which are environmentally sustainable.

With a minimalistic approach to winemaking, he allows the natural flavour of the fruit to be the hero of our wine.

Ernie Lepidi

Ernie has now been vineyard manager since 2003 and his efforts have allowed Wills Domain to reach the highest possible quality. He embraces many organic and bio dynamic processes to ensure the vines are able to express the most admirable aspects of their personality. His tireless efforts allow Bruce to make wines which are true expressions of the sub region of Yallingup and are truly Wills Domain in style.

He prides himself on his ability to deliver consistently outstanding fruit with varietal definition. His 25 years of experience in vineyards makes for a combined nearly 60 years of experience between Bruce, Ernie and Darren.