When I finally came home to the Barossa, the desire to make wine was burning bright. Peter (my father) in his wisdom set me to work as a labourer in our vineyards. As he put it, “first you have to understand where wine is really made”.
Through experience and great mentors, my knowledge and passion for our vines has grown. I now manage the family’s Stelzer and Stonewell Hill vineyards (around 75 acres). Carte blanche in the vineyards has allowed for a focus on producing fruit of the highest quality, without compromising for the sake of yields. In real terms it means that I produce my wines from the vine to the bottle. Pruning is where the journey starts, not just when the grapes are picked and arrive at the winery.
As you may have gathered, I am very passionate about the fruit I produce and wines I make. You can savour my wines in the knowledge that they have been nurtured first for a year on the vines then crafted for a few months in the winery before 4 years maturation in wood and the bottle. Each bottle of wine is carefully hand printed and wrapped before being placed in a hand printed carton then sent out into the wide world to find their way to you.
david Franz Lehmann
