Dandelion Vineyards is a boutique South Australian winery founded by winemaker Elena Brooks and her husband Zar. Their focus is on old vine vineyards across regions like Barossa, Eden Valley, and McLaren Vale, with a hands-off approach that champions terroir. The Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz honours Carl Lindner, a long-time advocate of old Barossa vines, many of which are used in this wine and are over 100 years old.
The 2022 vintage is made from 100% Shiraz, hand-picked from the Kincora Vineyard in the Barossa. After wild yeast fermentation in open tanks, the wine was basket pressed and aged for around 18 months in mostly older French and a touch of American oak. It shows deep crimson-purple colour and a rich nose of blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, and sweet spice, with hints of clove, pepper, and earth.
On the palate, it’s full-bodied and plush, with ripe black fruits, mocha and spice, with firm but polished tannins. There's good freshness to balance the richness, and the wine finishes long and dark-fruited, with a touch of oak spice. It’s youthful now but has the structure to age for several years.
This Shiraz pairs beautifully with grilled meats, braised lamb, barbecue ribs, or game dishes. It also works well with roasted vegetables or aged cheeses, especially hard or blue varieties.