2012 Peter Lehmann “Layers White”, Adelaide Hills, Australia $15.95
Finding a everyday white wine that I actually enjoy drinking at around $16 dollars or under has always been a bit of a problem for me. Seeing as we don’t have the vast waves of reasonably priced supermarket wines that can be found elsewhere in the world we are, for the most part, left with the odd interesting bottle here and there on the LCBO General List.
Australian whites at this pricepoint often leave much to be desired, and are usually a little too confected and/or concocted for my personal taste. So I was thrilled to see this 2012 Peter Lehmann Layers White make an appearance.
This unoaked/unchipped/unteabagged blend of Semillon (Barossa), Muscat (South Australia), Gewürztraminer (also Barossa), and Pinot Gris (Adelaide Hills) is a lighter (11.5%) modern style of wine that never tires on the palate for a single second. With 9g of residual sugar one would probably expect it to taste a little sweeter than it does, but a nice zip of lemony acidity keeps everything in check and the result is an extremely balanced wallet-friendly Oz white that would pair well with Monday night pho, Tuesday night tuna sandwiches, Wednesday night roast chicken… you get the idea. It’s reasonably versatile… and it also drinks bloody well by itself.
The nose exhibits lashings of lemon, crunchy green table grapes, and clementine. The plate is fresh and lively with a real citrus zing that makes one go back for the second of many glasses.
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Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And that’s a pretty quaffable wine for the money.
