PHILIP Lehmann cringes when the word destiny is used to herald his arrival at Peter Lehmann Wines as the newest member of its winemaking team. Neither 33-year-old Philip, nor his famous 77-year-old father Peter had necessarily planned it this way. Chief winemaker Andrew Wigan offered the job; Philip was quite happy at Yalumba, where he had worked for five years and earned plaudits for making its chardonnay and sparkling wines. Still, he had an inkling that one day he’d be involved in the Barossa wine company his father built from the ground up in 1978.
“I spent my childhood wandering around the winery - I was four when it started - but for a long time I had a kind of passive resistance against working there, probably a reaction to the large shadow that the old man throws across the place,” says Philip. “I didn’t want anyone to presume I would get a winemaking job because of my father’s influence. I realised that I was fragile to that sort of criticism, so I had to prove myself away from Peter Lehmann Winery. And I’m glad I’ve done that; I’ve studied and worked and achieved things on my own terms.”
It’s almost ironic that Philip has chosen winemaking; as a primary school student, he remembers denouncing the profession as “not having much of a future”, a view shaped from lean years during the early 1980s. At university, he initially studied electrical and electronic engineering, but loathed its cerebral designing and hankered for more hands-on pursuits. Even then, the drinks industry was never far away; he worked in retail liquor outlets to earn money while at uni, then did stints as a cellarhand immediately afterwards - including at Peter Lehmann Winery. “It’s what I know,” says Philip. “Now it’s also what I love.”
Andrew Wigan approached Philip during 2007 because his small winemaking team was facing staffing challenges through 2008, with veteran Leone Lange - part of the founding group at PLW - announcing her plans to retire, and Kerry Morrison preparing to take maternity leave. With Ian Hongell as his only remaining ally, Wig needed reinforcements before the 2008 vintage; in keeping with PLW’s reputation as a close-knit family, Philip was the natural choice as a new recruit.
“That’s one of the great attributes of the winery and why it’s so attractive to come here - that it’s a people-focused company,” says Philip. “It runs lean - there’s only 70 people in the whole company - so everyone is looking after each other and helping out to get the job done. And with the winemaking, it’s all about team responsibilities. Nobody has any specific wine to themselves; everyone has a hand in wines across the portfolio. That’s very rare in companies today, and I think it’s sad that there’s not more of it.”
Philip certainly appreciates that joining PLW will give him the opportunity to learn and diversify his skills. On his first day at work in early December 2007, Wig took Philip to the cellar door to taste every wine available through the range, and vertical flights of several key wines. It was here that Philip saw the benefits of shared responsibilities through the winemaking team - a consistency of style through many subsequent vintages.
“It’s not the force of any one personality shining through, so while there’s an element of dad’s influence on the style, he’s officially retired now. Wig’s had a hand in every vintage, so he’s got a lot to do with it, although all the other winemakers play their part in understanding and remaining true to the PLW styles. It’s exciting to know I’ll be a part of that.”
What Philip brings to the winery are diverse skills as a chardonnay and sparkling wine maker, which presents fresh possibilities beyond PLW’s current strengths, though no plans have formed yet. “Let’s just make sure I don’t stuff up anything that’s already working,” notes Philip with a self-effacing smirk.
His personal taste for chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc reflect the influence of overseas wine districts where Philip worked for several vintages - in California’s Napa Valley, in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and, most tellingly, in Burgundy. “That’s when I knew I wanted to make a life of making wine,” he says with a reflective smile. “They worked hard during vintage, but enjoyed their life and made good wine. They had it all in balance and I just thought ‘this is perfect’.”
Philip’s arrival at PLW also signals an important business statement for a company that has defiantly operated as a family-driven concern. The presence of another Lehmann as a winemaker - Peter’s eldest son from his first marriage, Doug, steers the business as general manager - serves to offer a sense of reassurance to the company’s shareholders. “Now that it’s clear that there’s some sort of a succession plan in place for the business without Peter, hopefully people can go on worrying about other things,” offers Philip with a wry chuckle.
Despite his worldly travels, Philip never envisaged carving a life outside the Barossa. He and wife Sarah have a house at Eden Valley and he’s already talking of long-term commitments at PLW. He’s aware there’s an element of history repeating itself - his father also started his working life at Yalumba - but Philip says there’s a power of difference between himself and Peter, from personality and temperament to drinking preferences, and room enough for both to exist under the Peter Lehmann Wines umbrella.
“Ultimately, I wanted to come back here to work with him and learn from him, before it’s time for him to shuffle off into the sunset,” says Philip. “I’ve got the chance to do that now. I’d have been a fool to let that chance go by.”
