Dandelion Vineyards 2020 "Lionheart of the Barossa" Shiraz

£10.70
Tasting notes
Dark, rich, intense plummy fruits and spices. Will go with any food that is rich and flavoursome.

Why we recommend this wine
Aussie shiraz has a well-earned reputation of being rich, intense and flavourful. This is a classic example.

The wine
The Lionheart of Dandelion Vineyards is their old vine Barossa vineyard. These ancient, gnarled vines, many over a hundred years of age, are not only surviving but thriving on their own roots in some of the oldest soils on the planet.
In the last week of April whole bunches of Shiraz were hand harvested, then gently crushed and naturally fermented in open fermenters for eight days, hand plunged twice a day, before careful basket pressing into some new but predominantly older French Oak Barriques to finish fermentation. After 18 months maturation and a racking in the same oak, it was bottled without filtration or fining, to capture the essence of the vineyard. Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart is ready to drink and will reward cellaring and decanting.

The wine estate
James Hallidays's Australian Wine Companion gives a 5 star rating to Dandelion Vineyards and describes the wine maker Elena Brooks as "an exceptionally gifted winemaker". Their wines represent decades of experience, blending the fruit of our heirloom vineyards with the finest traditions of artisan winemaking. It brings together vineyards spread across the Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula.
Although Dandelion's growers see the Devil in every weed, they encourage the humble Dandelion amongst the vines as "they suppress winter weeds, provide mulch in the summer, and proffer their Wishing Clocks in the spring to blow off to make our wish come true".
At the 2020 Sommelier Wine Awards Dandelion Vineyards was voted as New World Producer of the Year; the first Australian wine producer to be awarded this prestigious title.
dandelionvineyards.com

Food and wine
This red wine’s minerality, acidity and fruit depth make it extremely versatile with foods: char-grilled meats and root vegetables, rich stews, hard cheeses. Also see our guide to pairing food and wine here.

Did you know?
Wines bottled without filtration or fining will throw a sediment as they get older. This can be removed (or rather left behind in the bottle) by careful decanting.