David Franz Lehmann is Peter's son. He produces a range of great quality wines on a relatively small scale. I’m a big fan.
Happily, I've been lucky enough to crack into his Old Redemption port on three occasions over the past couple of weeks, and I highly recommend it to you.
The story of this tawny starts at Saltrams in 1947. Peter helped to blend and top up the stocks over the course of the next 30-odd years, and eventually bought a portion for himself when he struck out under his own name. By that time, fortifieds were about as popular as a Pakistani bookmaker, and so he left it on the wood to cook for another 30 years. Then, after having been barrelled for the best part of 60 years, his son did what all good sons do – he knocked off the old man’s grog.
The result is what he styles as an Exceptionally Old (X.O.) Tawny.
It’s a wonderful, bright golden brown, and glows like the sun as it swims around the glass. And I reckon if you poured a tin of golden syrup onto an old Chesterfield couch, you’d be getting pretty close to the heady aroma that explodes from the bowl.
The drinking is a lot like Brendan Fevola - thick, yet revealing. Allegedly.
It’s raisined and smokey and smoother than a Brazilian’s nut. It all just clicks. The needle hits the groove. The earth begins to move. I feel like I’m breathing fire.
Pour it at the end of a meal, crack out some sharp cheeses, maybe a cigar. Everyone’s a grinner.
I asked Dave for his thoughts on how best to drink the Old Redemption, and I can do no better than quote the man,
“Mate, all you need is a beer stein and a lockable room and you’ll be happy…”.
That's advice to live by. And I intend to.
If you can find a bottle, buy it. It’s special stuff.
Happily, I've been lucky enough to crack into his Old Redemption port on three occasions over the past couple of weeks, and I highly recommend it to you.
The story of this tawny starts at Saltrams in 1947. Peter helped to blend and top up the stocks over the course of the next 30-odd years, and eventually bought a portion for himself when he struck out under his own name. By that time, fortifieds were about as popular as a Pakistani bookmaker, and so he left it on the wood to cook for another 30 years. Then, after having been barrelled for the best part of 60 years, his son did what all good sons do – he knocked off the old man’s grog.
The result is what he styles as an Exceptionally Old (X.O.) Tawny.
It’s a wonderful, bright golden brown, and glows like the sun as it swims around the glass. And I reckon if you poured a tin of golden syrup onto an old Chesterfield couch, you’d be getting pretty close to the heady aroma that explodes from the bowl.
The drinking is a lot like Brendan Fevola - thick, yet revealing. Allegedly.
It’s raisined and smokey and smoother than a Brazilian’s nut. It all just clicks. The needle hits the groove. The earth begins to move. I feel like I’m breathing fire.
Pour it at the end of a meal, crack out some sharp cheeses, maybe a cigar. Everyone’s a grinner.
I asked Dave for his thoughts on how best to drink the Old Redemption, and I can do no better than quote the man,
“Mate, all you need is a beer stein and a lockable room and you’ll be happy…”.
That's advice to live by. And I intend to.
If you can find a bottle, buy it. It’s special stuff.
Rating: 9.5/10Drink with: Your trousers downPrice: $40http://www.david-franz.com/
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