Vintage: 2017

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2017PL219B176 x 75Stelvin LuxNot Yet Available
Vegetarian
Vegan
Producer

Peter Lehmann founded his eponymous winery in 1979, partly as a means of helping with the glut of grapes then afflicting the Barossa. “I’ll take your grapes and turn them into wine,” he told the desperate growers, many of them conservative farmers of Silesian descent who regarded their old vines as part of their patrimony. “But I’ll only be able to pay you when I sell the wine.” They gratefully accepted. Without this deal, it is widely believed that the Barossa would have lost a large swathe of its old vines. The crisis passed, in large part thanks to Peter’s energy and vision, and the Lehmann winery became one of the Barossa’s, and Australia’s, most outstanding wineries. It was for his role as saviour of the Barossa and as the creator of this winery, that Peter was named ‘Personality of the Year’ by the International Wine Challenge in 2009.

Peter Lehmann is also famous for two other creations. While running Krondorf in the mid-1970s, he gave a certain young ‘cellar rat’ called Graeme Melton the name ‘Charlie’. That young cellar rat followed Lehmann when he set up his own winery, before leaving to found Charles Melton Wines a decade later. The other creation is in the mind of Liberty Wines’ Chairman, David Gleave MW. During his first trip to the Barossa in February 1992, he visited the Peter Lehmann winery and was so struck by Peter, his growers and the wines that he was convinced, on the spot, of the greatness of the Barossa. Their deep-rooted passion and attachment to the land was no different to that found in the great wines of Europe.

This passion still exists in the winery today, despite the fact that Peter passed away in 2013 and sold most of the business to Donald Hess ten years prior. In 2014, his widow, Margaret, agreed with Hess to sell the company to Casella. Margaret was keen on the fact that John Casella ran a family company. The winemaking team has remained intact, with Nigel Westblade at the helm, supported by consultant Peter Scholz, or ‘Scholzy’, who has been involved with the Peter Lehmann winery for 40 years, after being offered an Assistant Winemaker role back in 1982 alongside Andrew Wigan and Charlie Melton.

Stonewell

Peter Lehmann’s flagship wine was first produced in 1987, made from Shiraz grown in the most premium sites of the Barossa. Named ‘Stonewell’ after the district that Peter believed best showed the characters admired most in Barossa Shiraz, the fruit is sourced from the estate-owned ‘Stonewell’ vineyard and a handful of small, old vineyards dating back as far as 1885. These old Shiraz vines yield under six tonnes per hectare of small, sparse berries which are partially barrel-fermented and matured in French oak hogsheads for at least 15 months before bottling. Consistent quality for over 30 years has been reflected by countless awards and being rated ‘Outstanding’ in the Langton’s VII Classification; recognising the best of Australian winemaking practices, vineyard provenance and regional voice.

Vineyards

Fruit for the Stonewell Shiraz is sourced from three long-term grower vineyards in the Moppa, Ebenezer and Light Pass districts of the Barossa Valley. The ancient vines in these vineyards produce sparse bunches with tiny but intensely flavoured fruit. Soils consist of yellow clay, sandy loam and deep alluvial ancient sediment, lending complexity to the finished wine.

Vintage

The 2017 vintage commenced with a long and wet winter. This resulted in moisture-heavy soils and a cooler-than-average spring, slowing down the vines’ vegetative cycle but also leading to an extended ripening period. March saw the beginning of unseasonably warm autumnal weather, which proved to be perfect for consistent ripening, colour development and pronounced flavour intensity in the grapes.

Vinification

The grapes were meticulously sorted and transported to the winery. Once there, they were gently crushed and macerated on the skins for around 2 weeks before undergoing fermentation in a combination of oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks. Following pressing and clarification, the wine was matured in French oak hogsheads, 50% new and the remainder 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill, for approximately 18 months prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

This Shiraz is deep purple in colour with a crimson rim. Aromas of black fruit, mocha and spice fill the nose, with enticing notes of vanilla from oak ageing. The palate is rich and full bodied, brimming with blueberry and violet flavours, demonstrating a cool vintage but still retaining fruit-ripeness and intensity. The oak is seamlessly integrated and the tannins smooth.

Alcohol (ABV)

14.5%

Acidity

7.02 g/l

Residual Sugar

3.7 g/l

pH

3.5

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