Peter Lehmann Wines
This past year of 2023 was an important chapter in the Peter Lehmann Wines story with the release of the 2017 Stonewell Shiraz, celebrating thirty vintages of the signature variety. When Peter Lehmann started making wine in 1980, a large focus was placed on the Australian variety, shiraz. Special high-quality grapes of intense and robust flavours, affectionately named ‘Little Black Jewels’ by Lehmann, were sourced and crafted into what we now know as Stonewell. Very little has changed in the Peter Lehmann approach to making Stonewell Shiraz since the very first vintage. Since Peter Lehmann Wines’ inception in 1979, the brand has highly valued grower relationships. Over the years, sixty growers from regions across the Barossa have provided fruit for Stonewell, some of them for more than ten of the thirty vintages, including Ralph Schrapel who has provided grapes for twelve vintages, including the very first vintage in 1987 and the newly released 2017. These growers have been the very foundation of Peter Lehmann Wines since 1979, a relationship based on trust and working together to ensure that only the best fruit is selected for Stonewell.
Nearly forty-five years later, the wonderful growers and their families work tirelessly to provide the best quality fruit for Peter Lehmann Wines, many having done so for decades. These longstanding relationships create a loyalty that is paramount to the legacy of Peter Lehmann – the man and the company. With challenging weather conditions in the 2023 vintage, the growers were kept busy with a meticulous spray schedule, some growers even kayaking through their vineyards! The resilience of the growers has shone through and with the forging of these bonds, Peter Lehmann Wines maintains these grower relationships by celebrating an annual Grower’s Day lunch at the Old Redemption Cellar overlooking the iconic winery. The perfect opportunity to recognise, applaud and thank the growers for their hard work.
