Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Shiraz

A number of the larger companies in the Barossa are putting the toe in the water in relation to wines expressing terroir. There is the terroirs series by Chateau Tanunda, Yalumba has released single vineyard wines from different sub-regions, Turkey Flat has three of those in the works, and Peter Lehmann has released wines from Light Pass and Eden Valley.

Tonight, I opened a bottle of the 2006 Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Shiraz. The wine shows quite pure and pretty plum fruit, but elas! it is difficult to detect. The wine is dominated by lashings of American oak. It tastes like vanilla ice cream. Well, a bit warmer.

Showing the specifics of different sub-regions in the Barossa is a worth while exercise, but winemaking has to be very non-interventionist for it to work. This effort masks the specific flavour and texture attributes of the Eden Valley. Maybe 2006 was early days in this effort, but it needs to get a lot better.

Score: 85/--