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Peter Lehmann celebrates 40th
SAVED BY A HANDSHAKE
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THIS YEAR CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF PETER LEHMANN’S GAMBLE ON A PROJECT TO SAVE BAROSSA VALLEY GROWERS; A MOMENT IN TIME COMMEMORATED BY THE RELEASE OF ‘THE BEST BAROSSAN SHIRAZ POSSIBLE.’
Peter Lehmann was single-handedly responsible for keeping growers in the Barossa with their heads above water when things got tough. With the 1977 vintage came a disastrous grape glut that continued to worsen in following vintages. Many large Barossa wine companies cancelled longterm contracts and agreements leaving growers financially reeling.
In a bid to support the growers, Lehmann began to produce wine as a side project. In 1979 this side project became Masterson Barossa Vignerons named after the Marlon Brando character in Guys and Dolls, gambler Sky Masterson and famous for the song Luck be a Lady tonight. Lehmann took a gamble for the growers, and it paid off. He sold his side project wine on a handshake with a, ‘pay now, deliver in two years’ agreement. He paid the growers with the money raised and produced what became the first Peter Lehmann wine in 1980.
That was 40 years ago and the 40th anniversary release of the Masterson Shiraz commemorates Peter’s strong community values. The first vintage of the Masterson is released in magnum, a nod to the first release of Lehmann’s famous Stonewall Shiraz in magnum.
The idea to produce this wine came from John Casella who acquired the Peter Lehmann winery in 2014. Casella’s intent was to honour this winemaking legend and his commitment to the Barossa wine region. Casella set a challenge to his winemaking team to produce the best Barossa Shiraz possible.
The Masterson Shiraz is a single vineyard Shiraz made from grapes grown on the Hammerling Vineyard in the Moppa district of the Barossa Valley. The vines were planted in 1991 on original rootstocks and are dry-grown with minimal intervention producing Shiraz fruit of exceptional quality evident in the finesse of the final wine.
The wine is a captivating example of Barossan Shiraz at its finest. With a palate of intense blueberry underpinned by a subtle minerality and delicate nuances of coffee, aniseed and spice, it is drinking superbly right now but will also age gracefully with careful cellaring.
Peter Lehmann Masterson Shiraz 2015 retails for $2000 per bottle and is limited to a 1000 bottle release. Each bottle is handnumbered.
