Dandelion Vineyards Menagerie of the Barossa

At the end of Zar & Elena’s old vine garden path there is a historic ‘Menagerie’ of three grape varieties, adjoining blocks of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataró at Gomersal in the Barossa. These three grapes have been blended together for much longer than the first vines found their way to Australia, but the Barossa has really become a de facto new-world home for this trinity. The cool night of the Barossa really pull back the reins on the power and intensity that comes with the hot growing days. The ’20 vintage in the Barossa saw yields 50% lower than the 10-year average, due to another below-average rainfall winter and spring, temperamental spring weather, leading to reduced fruit set. However, where there is a reduction in quantity there is generally an increase in quality, and this vineyard in particular truly shines with elegance and purity as seen across multiple vintages. After hand picking selected bunches of the Menagerie field blend in mid-March, Elena let the whole bunches and de-stemmed fruit ferment together in open top fermenters with ambient yeasts for 14 days, before basket pressing in old French oak barriques. The wine was then matured for a further 12 months in the same oak, before bottling with a gentle fining and sulfur addition, but without filtration.