Peter Lehmann H&V / Hills & Valley Chardonnay

Peter Lehmann, with 33 vintages already under his belt, started his own 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 thought that the Barossa would have lost a huge chunk of its old vines. The 'Hill & Valley' wines are made from fruit selected, often from single vineyards, in the Barossa Valley and from the higher reaches of the adjacent Eden Valley.

Chardonnay,

Peter Lehmann works with over 140 growers across the length and breadth of the Barossa Valley region, with access to over 750 individual vineyard sites. The grapes for this wine were grown by a small number of growers in the cooler climate high hills of the Eden Valley.

After crushing, the juice was drained directly into heavy toast French hogsheads allowing the natural flora on the grapes to initiate primary and malolactic fermentation. The wine was matured for eight months on lees in barrel prior to bottling.

Sensitive winemaking techniques allow this wine to express a sense of place and character.

A nose of aromatic fresh peach and nectarine balanced by nutmeg and almond spice with salted buttery notes. The palate is rich, full of soft white nectarine, hints of lemon citrus finishing with a crisp, dry & lingering acidity.

Perfect with light and delicate food such as raw and lightly cooked shellfish like crab, prawns, and steamed or grilled fish. For pasta lovers, Goat cheese tortellini with seared prawns and for meat lovers, pair with free range chicken thigh with corn sauce and even chilli oil!