Dandelion Red Queen of the Eden Valley Shiraz 2020

Tasting: Our Winemaker, Elena Brooks, has bestowed upon Colin Kroehn’s Eden Valley Shiraz vineyard the title of our Red Queen. Its age, altitude, aspect, and slopes are the defining characteristics. Colin dedicated the majority of his 90 years to nurturing his beloved Shiraz vines, and our Red Queen is a testament to his legacy, crafted entirely from his vineyard. Planted in 1912, on a south-facing slope of limestone bedrock covered with loamy sands rich in quartzite, the vineyard continues to thrive. The quartz-rich rocky outcrops, adorned with ironstone streaks, overlay a Barossa Complex basement of gneiss and schist, dating back approximately 1600 million years.

On March 31st, hand-harvested whole bunches of flavor-ripe Shiraz were gently crushed, with two-thirds of the grapes undergoing fermentation alongside one-third of whole bunch fruit in open fermenters for eleven days. Hand plunging occurred three times daily, followed by careful basket pressing into a blend of half new and half one-year-old French Oak Barriques to complete fermentation.

After two and a half years of maturation and a racking in the same oak, we bottled this eleventh vintage of Red Queen without filtration or fining, preserving the essence of the vineyard. Dandelion Vineyard’s Red Queen promises to reward those who cellar and decant it. We extend our gratitude to Mr. Kroehn for this enduring legacy.

Vintage: 2021