Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2023

Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz is intense crimson with youthful and purple hues.  Lifted blue fruits of blood plum and ripe blackberries. Plus Christmas pudding-like spice flow out of the glass as well as spicy pepper and hints of bramble and dark chocolate.  Generous mouth-filling sweet blackberry, raspberry and plums cover the palate, lashings of sweet spice.

Firm but fine tannins and dark chocolaty nuances continue throughout the lengthy palate with youthful finish.  Grapes are from an old vine vineyard in the Barossa with vines over a hundred years old, and many on original rootstock.  Throughout their vineyards they encourage the humble dandelion amongst the vines, they suppress winter weeds and provide mulch in summer.

In the first week of March 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 new and older French Oak Barriques to finish fermentation.

In conclusion, after 18 months maturation and a racking in the same oak, we bottled our Lionheart vineyard without filtration and fining.  This is especially to capture the essence of Carl’s vines, and to respect their terroir.  Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart is ready to drink and will reward cellaring and decanting.