Dandelion Vineyards Menagerie of the Barossa Grenache - Shiraz - Mataro 2023

This wine is deep red with violet hues. The nose is brimming with fresh blackberries and freshly ground white pepper, alongside dried herbs, black olives, and cocoa powder. The palate has flavours of warm, dark fruits supported by fresh acidity and firm tannins.

Weather conditions during spring were wet and windy which had an impact on flowering and resulted in small crops. Cool and wet conditions continued into early summer, but thankfully the rain stopped around Christmas time to allow the fruit to start to ripen and to keep disease at bay. Harvest started much later than average due to the cooler conditions. While some of the fruit had to be picked around rain events, it mostly ripened well with fresh and vibrant fruit flavours. The 2023 reds have intense, rich and balanced flavours and colours.

After hand picking selected bunches, the grapes were left to whole bunch ferment together in open top fermenters with ambient yeasts. Hand plunging took place before basket pressing into old French oak barriques. The wines then spent a further 12 months in the same oak, before blending and bottling with minimal intervention to capture the essence of the vineyards.