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Buy OnlineTrophy for Champion Shiraz – New Zealand International Wine Show 2020
Double Gold Medal – New Zealand International Wine Show 2020
It has to be said that the Shiraz Class at the NZIWS is one of the strongest anywhere, and to come away as the winner is no easy feat. And Dandelion wines are no strangers to the winning circle. They were awarded the New World Producer of the Year at the recent Sommelier Wine Awards 2020 in London.
Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
"Lioness of McLaren Vale is sourced from Angus and Helen Tuck's vineyard located in the subregion of Bakers Gully. Here mature Shiraz vines populate or perish, in the ironstone pebble laden clay loam, over ancient Kurrajong Formation geology, a silica cemented conglomerate most suited to grow Shiraz.
After hand picking whole bunches of our Lioness of McLaren Vale in mid-March our winemaker Elena Brooks let the whole bunches ferment together in open top fermenters with ambient yeasts and hand plunging for 12 days, before basket pressing into some new (20%) but predominately older French Oak barriques, to the mature for a further 18 months in the same oak, before bottling without fining or filtration to capture the essence of the vineyard. Although ready to drink the Lioness of McLaren Vale will also reward cellaring and decanting."
NZIWS (2019 Vintage)
"Deep, dark, complex and mysterious with a purple crimson hue, an opulent aroma of blackberry, boysenberry, spice, and cedar, and a vibrantly spicy, peppery taste with sumptuous red and black fruits, hints of rose petal, balanced creamy vanillin oak and a long, luscious, seamless finish."
Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, December 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"Powerful, youthful, a core of dark red berry fruits and layers of toasty vanilla and clove scented wood aromas. No mistaking a the scents of ground pepper, olive and a touch of bitter chocolate. Juicy, fleshy, fruit centric and dry on the palate. Flavours of dark raspberry and chocolate, black olive and brown sugar, violets and toasty wood flavours. Medium tannins and youthful acid line. Balanced and well made. Ready to enjoy with red meats off the barbeque or smoke salmon with olive tappenade paste. Drink now and through 2026."
Reviews for 2018 vintage below…
95/100 James Halliday's Wine Companion 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"Deeply coloured crimson-purple, it is redolent of McLaren Vale with layers of black fruits, choc-mint and ripe tannins, the oak important for texture, not flavour. All up, a thoroughly impressive wine at this price."
