2011 Peter Lehmann “Layers” (Shiraz/Tempranillo/Mourvèdre/Grenache), Barossa, South Australia – LCBO Vintages $17.95
Over the past couple of years I have been repeatedly impressed by Lehmann’s Layers wines from both a quality and value standpoint, and with this bottling I find myself once again grinning with a hint of a red wine moustache. I don’t often find myself using the terms elegant, reserved, and restrained when it comes to Barossa reds, but with this modestly-priced wine from the cooler, cloudier 2011 vintage I feel obligated to use such descriptors.
A blend of 50% Shiraz, 34% Tempranillo, 11% Mourvèdre, and a little splash of 5% Grenache, aged for seven months in older French and American oak, the 2011 Layers red is a real beauty in the glass. I’d recommend a nice, big fat Burgundy bowl to fully appreciate the complexities of the bouquet. Expect to find blueberries, brambles, hedgerow, mulberries, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a subtle spicing.
In the mouth the wine is juicy and acidic enough to balance the weight of the Barossa fruit, that even in a cooler vintage sees substantial ripeness… and this is important, as with that briskness on the tongue, the wine never tires the palate, ensuring that one craves another mouthful. This juice goes down pretty damn quickly. Another solid winner from Lehmann.
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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 he’s always been a huge advocate of Lehmann’s Layers wines.
