2021 Peter Lehmann The Queen Sparkling Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Peter Lehmann’s The Queen is one of Australia’s grand, richly fruited and deeply luxurious sparkling Shiraz wines, a style the Barossa helped pioneer and still does better than almost anywhere else. It draws on old vine Shiraz from some of the region’s most storied growers and showcases fruit with extraordinary concentration, colour and spice.

The winemaking takes a classic route. Base wine is fermented as a rich, plush Shiraz with deep fruit and strong tannin presence, then sent for a secondary fermentation in bottle, just as in Champagne. Extended aging on lees lends creamy texture, savoury complexity and chocolatey undertones. After disgorging, a carefully judged dosage balances the wine’s natural power, creating that signature interplay of dark fruit sweetness, spice, mousse and tannin that only great sparkling Shiraz can achieve.

The nose is lavish and enticing: blackberry, black plum and mulberry mingle with dark cherry, chocolate truffle, espresso, vanilla pod and warm baking spices. Beneath the richness lie notes of black pepper, licorice, violets and a subtle earthy warmth that feels purely Barossa. As the wine opens, hints of cola, fruitcake, dried fig and mocha echo through the aromatics.

The palate is velvety, full and mouth-filling, carried by a fine, creamy bead. Juicy black fruits roll across plush tannins, wrapped in flavours of plum conserve, blackberry coulis, cocoa, clove, anise and a touch of charry spice. The mousse lifts the richness, adding brightness to the dark flavour profile. The finish is long, smooth and gently sweet edged, with lingering chocolate, berries and spice. It is a wine that can age wonderfully, developing savoury leather and Christmas pudding complexity over a decade.

Perfect for festive tables and rich dishes: glazed ham, roast turkey, barbecued ribs, chargrilled lamb, venison with spice, hard cheeses, chocolate desserts or pavlova loaded with dark berries. It is also superb on its own as a celebratory centrepiece.