FAIR DINKUM
Australian winemaker Stanley Lambert revolutionizes an age-old art
BY DAVID HIMMEL

Jim Lambert made a good living as Founder, CEO and Vice Chairman of Dot Hill. Tired of the corporate life, he retired a year ago after buying a vineyard in the Barossa Valley, northeast of Adelaide in New South Wales, Australia, in 2003.

One late afternoon, Lambert visited a pub off the country road that runs through the vineyards of Barossa. He asked a local bartender if he knew of any winemakers in the area. The bartender offered Lindsay Stanley's name, well-known as Australia's premier winemaker. When Lambert asked how to reach Stanley, the bartender pointed to him, slouched and asleep in the pub's corner.

"We talked for a while over numerous beers," Lambert said. "We agreed that he would make some high-end wine for me. Then, he asked for my checkbook."

Originally called Lambert Stanley, Stanley opted to swap the names just before the first bottles were corked. Now, Stanley Lambert provides 20,000 cases of delectable wine each year.

"We make smaller batches of wine and pay a lot of attention to everything in the process," Lambert told me, "from how the grapes are grown and harvested, to how they are crushed, fermented and aged. I guess we sweat the details because we want good stuff to drink ourselves."

They use fine-oak barrels and don't rush wine to the market, but instead, age it in the winery until the wine is ready to open. 

On that smaller scale, Lambert has been very successful. His son-in-law, Elliot Pemberton, is based in Las Vegas and handles all of the distribution and networking while Lambert currently enjoys Christmas during the summer months in OZ. 

At their warehouse, I asked Pemberton if he married Lambert's daughter, Kari, because of the wine business. He laughed and flashed his contagious smile, "No, no. We met before Jim got into the business." 

After married, both were bored with their day jobs. So, they went to work for Stanley Lambert. While Pemberton pounds the pavement, his wife handles accounting and other organizational necessities. 

As a small business, Stanley Lambert supports its brethren and only retails to privately owned, small boutiques. However, many restaurants in Las Vegas carry their wines. They couldn't sell to a Lee's Discount Liquor even if they wanted to, because they don't produce enough volume. But compare a chardonnay from a wine behemoth like Kendall Jackson to Stanley Lambert's Pristine Chardonnay (made without any oak!) and you'll understand the importance of quality versus quantity. And like Pemberton said, "Lindsay is an artist."

There are even details in the bottles. The names of the wines are nothing scientific. A new chardonnay will be out in the next few months called 1,000 Words. It's named for Kari, who, after a few glasses has plenty to say. A pinot noir - made from a delicate grape - will be called The Sensitive Cousin after a relative who tends to be on the more tender side of things.

Stanley Lambert wine is made in three tiers depending on the grape, the oak, the entire wine making process and obviously, the value. For example, their shiraz (my favorite) has Mustang Sally, August and The Family Tree, which, as a third tier, can spend up to 18 months in barrels. And depending on the tier you like, you'll notice a height difference in bottles. This creates an exclusive and exciting feel when choosing a wine. 

Their corking is revolutionary. Avoiding screw-tops and rubber bungs to prevent spoilage, Stanley Lambert uses a new system where the cork is ground up, then pieced back together creating a tighter seal and preventing corked bottles from ever occuring.

Through all the attention paid to the wine, the taste remains the most important detail, and it shows. To purchase Stanley Lambert wines, visit www.StanleyLambert.com. LW