I went for a Shiraz this week, folks. It seems a bit odd, even to me. I mean, it has been screamingly hot outside and Shiraz isn’t the first thing that I grab when I’m in the midst of hot summer weather. As we all know, this is peak rose and white wine season.

But I had my reasons for picking the wine I did this week. You see, I was lucky enough to meet the incredibly charming Elena Brooks, the winemaker behind this wine, just a few weeks ago (more to come on that in due course, I hope) and I completely fell in love with her style, approach to wine and life and charming personality.

Elena is a brilliant and well recognized young female winemaker from McLaren Vale, Australia and I think she is totally worth following and getting fan-crazy over. Her many projects and wines are turning heads all around the world. So, when I saw this wine at my store, having met Elena just days prior, I knew I had to give it a try and tell you all about it. And I’m really glad to say that it is really, really good! :)

And with that, let’s get into this week’s wine pick!

2019 Dandelion Lioness of McLaren Vale Shiraz

This week’s wine comes from the McLaren Vale region of Southern Australia. This wine is made from 100% Shiraz and is sure to please lovers of big, bold, New World Shiraz. Read on to learn all that you need to know about this wine.

What does this wine cost?

$21.95

How does Shiraz differ from Syrah?

While Shiraz and Syrah are technically the same grape (the term “Shiraz” was adopted in Australia as a synonym for Syrah), the wines do tend to differ stylistically. Syrahs tend to be leaner, more spicy and more gamey and herbal vs. fruity. On the other hand, Shiraz (especially from Australia) tends to be made in a richer riper and more fruit-forward style (N.B. - this style of wine-making is commonly referred to as “the New World style”).

Where does this wine come from?

As noted above, this wine comes from the McLaren Vale wine region in South Australia. Located approximately 110 kms south of the far more famous Barossa Valley and about 45 minutes away from the city of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is a landscape of rolling hills edged by the sea and gorgeous beaches. It is also a place that is home to some very old, gnarly grape vines.

Why is this wine unique?

It is the winemaker, Elena Brooks, that makes this wine unique in my view. This is a winemaker to watch, according to many, and she makes delicious, deftly crafted wines. She is a woman of passion, intelligence and an honest approach to wine-making. Elena is the mastermind behind several wine labels - another well known one is called Sister’s Run. She is a consistent award winner in competitions, currently holding one of the most prestigious wine titles in South Australia.

Who makes this wine?

Dandelion Vineyards was founded by Elena Brooks and her husband and industry veteran, Zar Brooks. The winery was founded in 2007 and in just ten released vintages (as of the time of this writing) has achieved critical acclaim worldwide. Dandelion Vineyards utilizes estate fruit and fruit purchased from top notch family owned and farmed vineyards to produce its wines.

Click here to learn more about Dandelion Vineyards.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Grape Varieties - 100% Shiraz (Syrah)

Soil types - clay loam, silica

Vinification - hand harvesting, whole clusters, matured for 18 months in mature French oak barriques, unfined and unfiltered

ABV - 14%

Residual Sugar - 4 g/L

My tasting notes:

A dark opaque ruby tinged with purple in the glass, this wine has a layered and unctuous nose that delivers notes of black plums, cassis, black cherries, stewed blueberries, bramble, violets, smoked meat and warm baking spices. On the palate, these notes are repeated and reveal themselves in the most layered and enjoyable way possible. The palate also gives way to sweet milk chocolate, eucalyptus, black pepper and flinty notes. A very fruity wine indeed, but not jammy, and very nicely balanced by dusty tannins and enough acidity to balance the whole picture.

This wine initially presents a bit closed off at this stage. Be sure to decant it for about an hour if you are drinking it close to the time that this blog post was published.

Aging potential:

2-3 years. Decant for one hour if you are drinking it now.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

Enjoy this wine with smoked brisket, BBQ ribs, osso bucco, lamb kebabs or bison burger.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 92 points

A very well made wine, with lots of layers and complexity, for a very good price!

FINAL VERDICT:

This wine is so good and enjoying it won’t break the bank! It’s pretty perfect year round too, for both casual and dressed up fare and occasions. So what’s not to like? :)

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, I’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop me a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine!……

Cheers…..XOXO