South Australia Series, Part Five: Peter Lehmann

When we arrived at Peter Lehmann Wines in the town of Tanunda, Barossa Valley, the clouds had closed in, making the weather warm and humid. It was a welcome relief to see the beautiful vine-covered veranda stretching the length of the cellar door and the gorgeous gum trees on an expanse of lawn.

On recommendation (from Melanie at Henschke!) we arrived early to enjoy the Weighbridge Platter for lunch. A Barossa tradition, it is a collection of the region?s finest locally produced foods including Linke?s Mettwurst, Barossa Valley cheeses, Apex Bread, Maggie Beer Pâté and Barossa Bark. Enjoyed with a glass of crisp, refreshing 2010 Art Series Semillon Blanc ? zesty citrus with honeyed, floral notes, it was the perfect start to our visit.

In the late 1970?s when Peter Lehmann ? the Baron of the Barossa ? and a number of local growers faced the possibility of financial ruin, he enlisted the help of some financial investors and loyal colleagues, and created the Peter Lehmann label, now a household name. Particularly important to the brand is chief winemaker Andrew Wigan, who has been with Peter Lehmann since day one, and the first vintage in 1980; which makes 2012 his 33rd. With a trophy cabinet of awards and numerous Winemaker of the Year titles, he remains modest in his achievements, and to be honest is just a really nice bloke.

We tasted fifteen wines with Andrew, covering all tiers of the Lehmann portfolio and I was particularly impressed with the whites, having had a lot of focus on reds at my previous visits. I couldn?t write this piece without mentioning the 2006 Wigan Riesling one of the ?Masters? wines named after our host for his invaluable contributions to Peter Lehmann. Bottled straight after vintage, it has spent the last five years in bottle and is now starting to show age with smoky, toasty complex layers whilst retaining great acidity and zesty citrus and mineral flavour. Tasting with Andrew, his passion for this award-winning (Best Riesling in the World six times since 1991!) wine was clear and something he is clearly proud of. I must admit, in his presence I did feel slightly amateurish as I wrote my tasting notes, however Andrew?s view that wine should be made to enjoy on a personal level and not to meet certain expectations was apparent, and the Lehmann tag ?Faithful to taste, not convention? certainly rang true in his anecdotes about each wine.

Needless to say, the reds did not disappoint. In true Barossa style, shiraz is the dominant variety in the range, and The Society currently stocks the Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz, 2005 (£30 a bottle). We tasted the 2007; a gorgeous dense ruby red colour, fruit-driven nose with a ton of black fruit and a sweet spice. On the palate, intense black fruit, firm tannins, sweet spice and a heady oak lingered. Produced from low-yielding vineyards which produce the softest and ripest fruit, this shiraz shows good cellaring potential and is a serious, fierce red.

Peter Lehmann sources the majority of its fruit for production from over 140 independent growers, and approximately 2-3% of production is from their own fruit. With the Art Series a palette of fruit from growers across the Barossa, the Portrait wines a portrait of the region with the top four varietals that have made it famous and the Masters wines the top tier of Lehmann?s classic Barossa varietals, they really have covered all bases of the market. May their patchwork and palette continue to grow!

Jo Mansell
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