Dandelion Lionheart Barossa Shiraz 2018 (Australia)

Description

• Damson plum
• Olives
• Bay leaf
• Dark chocolate liqueur

Nightly dark yet bright in the glass, as if draped in a violet-plum moonshine. Damson plums and reduced plums and plum jam made yesterday morning and oh, plum chutney too. All of this plummy aromaticity is set off by other primary fruit drivers: olives, bay, the more freshly picked woody herbs such as sage and rosemary and thyme. The bouquet whispers of dark liqueur chocolate, cocoa and vanilla.

Here is a ripe yet restrained profile of fruit purity; the palate is clean, clear and defined - etched minerality and savouriness runs in fine powdery tannic layers. This is Barossa that is beautiful not brazen; beguiling not boisterous; a balance not a bomb, yet still indubitably - indubitably - Barossa.

In the first 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, the winery bottled Lionheart with minimal winemaking artifact, to capture the essence and purity of Carl’s vines. Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart is ready to drink and will reward cellaring and decanting.

Dandelion Vineyards is a unique fusion of vineyards and vignerons. These wines represent decades of experience, blending the fruit of their old vine gardens with the finest traditions of artisan winemaking. Dandelion Vineyards are proven plantings that have stood the test of time. Their wish is to nurture the unique character of these vineyards and express their terroir in the wines.

The Lionheart is so named after Barossa's lifelong champion of old vines, Carl Lindner. This Shiraz wine comes from ancient, gnarled vines, some approaching and many over a hundred years of age that not only survive but thrive on their own roots in some of the oldest soils on the planet.

This red wine’s minerality, acidity and fruit depth make it extremely versatile with foods: from char siu pork, chargrilled chicken, or casalinga sausages with a hint of chilli. A simple pepper steak? Or your finest beef in black bean sauce. Homemade black bean sauce, of course...