A look back on seven decades of winemaking

“What’s this bloody Mr. Lehmann bit?” were the first words out of Peter Lehmann’s mouth when a guest addressed him formally.

He meant it in a friendly way, but it speaks volumes about the man who many call the baron of Barossa. He is one of the giants of Australian winemaking, widely respected as a man whose word is his bond, yet he is as down to earth as they come.

He may not have put Barossa — a wine-growing valley northeast of Adelaide — on the map, he has certainly been the leading voice of its character for decades.

The reason for his visit to Toronto, along with his wife Margaret, was to honour his work in the wine business from the 1940s (as a teenaged lab assistant at Yalumba who showed great promise), to the current decade.

Six wines under the Peter Lehmann label are available here, three in the general list and three others in Vintages.

I rarely write about private tastings but this one deserves an exception. One wine was chosen from each of the first six decades of Lehmann’s reign plus one exceptional “sticky,” to show that even before Australia became a commercial wine powerhouse they were doing some innovative and world-class stuff.

Only one in the lineup is available and the other six were from Lehmann’s cellar. I was stunned at how well they had held up.

Lehmann did not make the 1958 Saltram Bin 20 because he started as winemaker there the following year, but he nursed the wine in infancy. It was an elegant and creamy red, still firm, with strawberry and fresh leather flavours. The 1963 Saltram Mamre Brook (a Cabernet Shiraz blend) offered wood smoke, dried berries and yellow fruit qualities. From 1973, the Saltram Basket Press Shiraz possessed amazing extract and fruit with brambleberry and caramel notes.

By 1989, Lehmann had moved to his own label and his Cabernet Malbec Merlot Shiraz blend flashed black cherries, raisins and cedar. The 1996 Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz was surprisingly still tannic, with coffee bean and blackberry character.

The sixth decade’s flag-bearer was PETER LEHMANN BAROSSA SHIRAZ ($19.95, code 572875), which started with lactic notes then displayed great extract, black currant and black cherry fruit, and well integrated tannin.

Then came the piece de resistance. Lehmann assembled the blend and bottled it in 1973 from several parcels of Saltram’s sweet and fortified Semillon and Muscadelle dating back to the 1920s. Unbelievable. Still fresh and vigorous, evoking thoughts of ginger cake, candied peel, toffee and buttercream.

In addition to the Shiraz mentioned above, these Peter Lehmann wines are available here:

PETER LEHMANN BAROSSA BLOND ($14.95, code 197871). A terrific value blend of Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Fruity yet crisp, fresh, with green apple, green melon, floral and citrus angles.

PETER LEHMANN 2008 RIESLING (Vintages $14.95, code 186361). Barossa is too hot for good Riesling, so Lehmann branched his much cooler next-door neighbour, Eden Valley. This lovely dry, fruity Riesling has golden pear, white peach and grapefruit qualities.

PETER LEHMANN 2009 LAYERS WHITE (Vintages $17.95, code 167171). Layers is right. Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Muscat are used in this beauty. It comes across as slightly off dry, with baking bread smell and flavours of apples, green grapes, pineapple and melon — sort of a fruit salad.

PETER LEHMANN CLANCY’S RED ($17.95, code 611467). Clancy is a legendary cattle drover in Australian folklore. The wine is a powerful blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon highlighted by a little Merlot. Generous plum and blackberry flavours, plus some spice and licorice notes.

PETER LEHMANN 2008 LAYERS (Vintages $17.95, code 138883). A great value red. There’s great complexity and range of this curious blend of Shiraz, Tempranillo, and the Rhone varieties Mourvèdre, Grenache and Carignan. Sweet ripe fruit, flavours of fresh and dried cherries, blueberries, black figs, with a definite edge of black pepper and spice.