Peter Lehmann H&V / Hills & Valley Shiraz

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.

Shiraz,

Peter Lehmann Wines works with over 140 growers across the length and breadth of the Barossa Valley region, with access to over 750 individual vineyard sites. The fruit for this wine comes from three premium vineyards in the sub-regions of Koonunga, Tanunda and Lyndoch, producing a wine that is consistent with the original Peter Lehmann Shiraz style: robust and generous.

The grapes were machine harvested across the sites and combined upon arrival at the winery. The wine was fermented on skins for seven days to maximise colour and flavour, then aged for 12 months in French oak hogsheads.

Barely a baby version of its bigger siblings, this is very considered, plush Shiraz with the deep core fruit of Barossa Valley classics. An absolute go-to Shiraz for any wine list or shelf.

A nose of plum, raspberry, violet flower, blueberry, mocha and a hint of spiced. On the palate its fresh blueberry fruit with lots of plum, dark cherries and young blackcurrant fruits. A long fine tannin structure throughout gives an excellent backbone to this food friendly style of Barossa Shiraz.

A perfect accompaniment to Steak Tartare or grilled Chorizo.