Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 2004

The story of Stonewell Shiraz began in 1987 when Peter Lehmann decided to make a special Shiraz - a wine of immense intensity and muscularity that would demand time in the barrel and bottle before release. The wine was named ‘Stonewell’ after the district that he believed best showed the characters admired most in Barossa Shiraz. This tradition has continued and each vintage the best Shiraz fruit from our extensive network of growers is chosen to create Stonewell. Usually no more than a dozen small, old vineyards are selected each year, the oldest planted in 1885. The berries are small and sparse with crops typically less than 1.5 tonnes per acre. The pedigree of these vineyards and the knowledge that has been passed from each grape growing generation to the next assures us that Stonewell Shiraz is a wine of great longevity that can be cellared with confidence for many years to come.

 The 2004 Stonewell shiraz yields only to the 2002 and 1998 vintages in quality and is on par with the ’96. It was released in December and, while I have no quibble with the 2010-24 drinking span predicted by Lehmann, it would be no sin to open a bottle for a test drive this year. It is, after all, five years old. Strongly coloured, with some crimson notes remaining, it is medium to full bodied, with an excellent mid-to-back palate line to black fruits, leading to a strikingly long finish and aftertaste, the balance and structure all one could wish for. 95 points James Halliday – The Weekend Australian.