Peter Lehmann Layers Barossa Valley Red 2020  £16.42

Peter Lehmann Layers Barossa Valley Red

Peter Lehmann, with 33 vintages already under his belt, started his 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. Since its first vintage, the Peter Lehmann winery has championed Shiraz and Semillon, the two great traditional varieties of the Barossa. The Layers blends use these two varieties as a base upon which to build a wine that expresses the new face of the Barossa, using varieties that are new or innovative. These smartly packaged wines show that while Peter Lehmann is a traditional winery, it continues to be as innovative today as it was 40 years ago.

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 was sourced from premium vineyard sites across the region.

The 2016 growing season started with a warm, dry spring with good conditions for flowering and fruit-set. The balance of the ripening season comprised warm days, but slightly cooler than average nights, helping the vines to cope with the warm conditions.

Each variety was individually fermented on skins until dry. The wine was then blended before being matured in a combination of old French and American oak for 12 months before bottling.

The colour is a vibrant red with a burst of dark cherry and spice on the bouquet leading to a softly textured finish. Shiraz delivers fruit depth and structure, while the Tempranillo is firm and savoury. Mourvedre brings a wild earthiness and all are bound together by the aromatic and spicy nature of Grenache which softens the palate.