Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz represents the essence of the Barossa’s generous character. Immensely
concentrated, low-yield fruit, combined with skilled winemaking, is the basis of this great Australian Shiraz.
Stonewell, first vintaged in 1987, is sourced from the 'best of the best' Shiraz vineyards of the Barossa, including
Stonewell (hence the name), Marananga, Greenock, Kalimna, Ebenezer and the dry western district of Rosedale.
Eden Valley material can also be included in certain years.
A classical yet modern style, nowadays the wine is barrel fermented and matured in new and “second-fill” French
oak. Stonewell Shiraz shows plenty of paneforte, plum, chocolate aromas, voluminous sweet fruit, structured tannins,
well-seasoned oak flavours and tremendous length.
The fruit selected for Stonewell is the most intensely flavoured of the vintage, and Wigan describes 2010 as “a notch above average on the intensity scale” yet in a line of 2010 Barossa shiraz, this clocks in admirably as one of the lower in alcohol at 14%. It’s at once deep-set and intense in its black plum, blackberry and black cherry fruit, and at the same time tense and coiled in anticipation, tightly contained within a brittle shell of beautifully polished and impeccably textured tannins. There are understated nuances of dark chocolate and liquorice, carried by black fruits through a finish that hovers undiminished for almost a full minute. One of the greatest Stonewells of all time and for all it represents, one of the best buys in Australian shiraz this year. 98 Points, Tyson Stelzer
Full crimson-purple; while the provenance of the wine ensures there will be an abundance of flavours, there is a tension within the fruit expression that adds an X-factor, drawing out the finish, and leaving the mouth fresh. All in all, a special wine from a special vintage destined for a very long life. Drink by 2050. 97 points, James Halliday winecompanion.com.
The road of flavour is so deep, and so wide, it’s like a rolling river – to paraphrase a classic Dire Straits lyric. This really is the duck’s guts of Barossa Shiraz. All power, all class, all fruit and bone. Big grainy tannin. Big black berry and mocha waves with sprays of earth and dried spice. It’s so well-built, there is no question that it will live and develop for a very long time. A bit old school but then, when you harbour this kind of gravity, you go beyond fashion. Drink 2020-2040. 96 points, Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front.
Barossa Valley
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
