Dandelion Vineyards Menagerie Of The Barossa Grenache – Shiraz – Mataro 2020

Mild-purple to purple-red; a more opaque rim edge. On the nose, a bag of boiled lollies mixed with a roadside of dusty blackberry bushes in full fruit. Earth, rose petals, fresh and dried herbs; fennel and sandalwood, and – having said that – the faintest hint of older French oak bouquet. Deep aromatics above which spice exotica floats shimmeringly. Each whiff is something new, as if the wine is toying with you. Grip and texture on the palate. A lesson in grip and texture… Peppercorns atop plummy, dark berry fruit flavors and cherry pith and a pastis/aniseed kick. Dry, very dry; but there underlying the dark and determined berry fruit foundation runs a ripe, sliding, slinking acidity. This is a playful mouthful of red wine as much as it is a fully, quietly qualified one. Drinking it is a study in the dialectic.

Blend: 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz, 5% Mataro