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Ian Hongell - Winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines
Since its inception in 1979, Peter Lehmann Wines has been a Barossa Valley mainstay. The wines, especially the shiraz and riesling have been – in my little black book – synonymous with the Barossa style. So much so that when overseas guests have asked me to recommend typical Barossa wines, Peter Lehmann always come to mind.
The winery and cellar door are set in leafy, park-like gardens and guests can wander around, taste a good selection of wines and if peckish, enjoy lunch on a sunny verandah – as we did.
Winemaker Ian Hongell showed us a selection of releases. Standouts included the perfumed, limey 2008 Barossa Riesling; a lemon zesty 2008 Barossa Semillon and the 2005 Wigan Eden Valley Riesling – this showed a classic developed nose of aromatic lemon skin oil and lovely Granny Smith apple acidity.
Then there was a 2008 Barossa Shiraz, showing deep, almost black shades, a spicy sweet oak nose and a hint of chocolate above its chewy tannin infrastructure. I also enjoyed the 2005 Stonewell Shiraz – a rich nose with a slightly savoury edge of tapenade and a robust palate of persistent blackberry notes.