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Peter Lehman “Layers” White Wine Blend, Adelaide, South Australia.
May 30, 2012
Grapes
36% Semillon, 20% Muscat, 20% Gewürztraminer, 20% Pinot Gris and 4% Chardonnay.
Facts
- I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Lehmann brand for a few years now. Their “Art Series” represents some of most value-driven, well-distributed and thoroughly “glug-worthy” wines coming out of Oz….
- The same kind of “kitchen-sinky” blend as Conundrum, and I’m taking a wild-stab-in-the-dark guess that “Layers” refers to the layers of flavor achieved through the blending of these five white grapes.
- Founded by….you guessed it…. Peter Lehmann, this South Australian property has been pumping out fermented grape juice since 1979. The winery was acquired in 2003 by the Switzerland-based Hess Group at a valuation of over $103 million, making it first Australian brand in the Hess portfolio.
- 2010 is only the second vintage for the Peter Lehman Layers.
- All the Peter Lehmann wines are bottled under a screw-cap closure. Not a big deal, until you realize the same is true for their Stonewell Shiraz, which is listed (on their website) for $100+ a bottle. I’m fairly certain that’s one of the most expensive Australian wine I’ve seen with a twisty-top!
- Rod Schubert (the artist behind the Peter Lehman label) considers the Queen of Clubs the “gambler’s card,” with every label of Peter Lehmann wine adorned being with a club somewhere on the bottle. This alludes to the gamble Peter Lehmann took when founding the winery during the volatile economic climate in Australia during the 1970s.
I love a wine label with a story!
Place (click map for larger view)
- South-Eastern Oz is where all the grape-growing action takes place in the Land Down Under! The majority of grocery store brands that you’ll see simply bear a “South Eastern Australia” appellation, which is about as helpful as a jab in the eye with a rusty wine opener…..since “South Eastern Australia” covers approximately 1250 sq. miles.
- Adelaide is one of the largest wine regions in all of Australia, and also one of the most climatically diverse. The temperatures at night drop lower than any of its surrounding wine regions and also receive much more rainfall.
- Even though Australia is considered a “New World” wine producing country, grape vines in Adelaide have a history dating back to 1836. It’s worth noting there were no indigenous grape vines in Australia before being brought from the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) in 1788 to the Australian New South Wales region.
- Have you ever dreamt of owning your own small-independent Australian winery? Sat on the porch of the farmhouse that you built with your own two hands, watching as the sun sets, casting it’s orange-glow over your small 5-acre vineyard, as wallabies hop playfully between your grape vines and a random Aborigine (wearing only a loin-cloth) sews corks-on-strings into the brim of your Akubra?
Well…..I’m here to shatter those dreams!!!
Australia is dominated by behemoth wine brands that chew-up and spit-out small wineries for sh*ts and giggles!!! Around 94% of each year’s grape crush comes from wineries owned by “The Big 5,” i.e. Foster’s, McGuigan, Constellation, Simeon, Pernod Ricard and Casella. Stick that in your didgeridoo and smoke it!!!
- The Peter Lehmann winery owns its own vineyards, but which only produce enough grapes for around 2% of their needs. They therefore buy grapes from over 185 local independent grape growers.
Taste
Exactly what I was expecting, although not quite as sweet (I think I was anticipating more Muscat); the Peter Lehmann Layers shows ripe pear, succulent peach and apricot. Tangerine and a little kiwi towards the middle and subtle spice (from the Gewurztraminer). Rounds-off with citrusy acidity and a smooth and thirst quenching finish.
Pairing
11.5% alcohol is lower than I expected from this wine; therefore, since the alcohol is kept in check, you’re good-to-go on just about anything (within reason) that you can think of. Spicy Asian, Thai, Chinese, or Indian food, all the way through to delicate white fish, seafood, fruit salads and poultry.
Price
$15
