Shiraz
75cl * Vegan * 14.5% ABV * Barossa Valley, Australia
Dandelion Vineyards is the venture of talented winemaker Elena Brooks, and her husband Zar. Their project makes wines from the Barossa and Eden Valleys, Fleurieu, the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.
Elena hails from Bulgaria. Her mother worked for a local producer, and so much of Elena’s childhood was spent in a winery. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria’s rich winemaking history attracted visiting winemakers from across the globe. As a result, Elena met many international winemakers visiting her mother's workplace. As the only English speaker, she began interpreting barrel room tastings for these visitors at the age of 12. By 15 she was well-versed in the ins and outs of the winemaking process and by 16 she had made her first wine. After formal study and stints making wine worldwide, Elena eventually settled in McLaren Vale with Zar and founded Dandelion Vineyards.
Winemaker Elena Brooks, crowned Colin Kroehn's Eden Valley Shiraz vineyard as her Red Queen. The combination of its age, elevation and aspect alongside its picturesque slopes was the reason for this title. Colin nurtured his precious Shiraz vineyards for the majority of his 90 years. The 1912, south facing, limestone bedrock vineyards are covered with loamy sands and teeming in quartzite. The rock quartz outcrops lay over a basin of 1,600 million year old Barossa Complex of gneiss and schist.
The 2019 vintage saw a mild and dry winter, followed by a dry and windswept spring. In September and October, the vineyards saw disrupted budburst and young shoot growth from the drier conditions, swiftly followed by frost and rain episodes in November, with Shiraz yields taking the brunt of the damage. January and February saw the hottest summer's day on record, alongside cool nights, accelerating maturity and advancing the vintage. The late summer warmth suppressed disease pressure and provided optimal ripening conditions. Despite lower yields, the varietal character and structure of Shiraz shone through in this vintage.
On the nose there are dark just-ripe plums straight from the tree, with eucalyptus, moss, rose petals and a savoury spice. Dark chocolate, nutmeg and truffle envelop the palate, but the structure and acidity allow its opulence and generosity to shine rather than to blind. There's lovely concentration of fruit and an array of herbs - sage, thyme, mint, and oregano. A lovely wine that punches well above its weight.