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Dandelion Vineyards

2021

‘Lionheart of the Barossa’

Shiraz   |   Barossa Valley - Australia

About

Lionheart Shiraz is aptly named after Barossa’s lifelong champion of old vines and Dandelion’s co-founder, Carl Lindner. These ancient, gnarled vines, many nearly 100 years of age, are not only surviving but thriving on their own roots in some of the oldest soils on the planet. The ‘God’s Hill Vineyard’ is also well named as it sits at 1,400 feet in elevation overlooking the Barossa Valley to the west. The 2021 vintage was exceptional with relatively good rainfall in autumn, and again towards the end of spring.

In the first week of April 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 (25%) and older French oak barriques with a touch of American oak to finish fermentation. After 18 months maturation and a racking in the same oak, the wine was bottled without filtration or fining, to capture the essence of Carl’s vines.

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Shiraz
  • Vineyard: God's Hill Vineyard
  • Vine Age: Average: 35-years-old
  • Soil Type: Alluvial wash with grey loam over ironstone rich clay
  • Viticulture: Practicing Organic
  • Fermentation: Native – crushed, 100% whole-cluster
  • Skin Contact: 8 days
  • Aging: 18 months in mostly French barrique (25% new) with a small portion of American oak
  • Alcohol: 14.5%
  • pH: 3.5
  • Total Acidity: 6.1 g/L
  • Total SO2: 74 ppm
  • Total Production: 20,000 cases
  • UPC: 9342160000096

Tasting Note

Deep, dense, bright violet purple. Grainy. The nose has dark chocolate aromatics, with a subtle bouquet of soy, lavender, pink peppercorns, rosemary, and eucalyptus bark when it rains. The palate is plush with berry flavors, and flows with sweeping tannins as if taken by the tide.

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