Dandelion Vineyards
5 Stars, one of the 'Best of the Best' - James Halliday Wine Companion 2012
Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and McLaren Vale, South Australia
dandelionvineyards.com.au
Dandelion Vineyards are proven plantings that have stood the test of time. Our wish is to nurture the unique character of these vineyards and express their terroir in our wines. To capture variety, vintage and vineyard requires an enlightened approach. “When I see a weed I see the Devil” is an old grower’s mantra, but we encourage the humble Dandelion amongst the vines as they suppress winter weeds, provide mulch in summer, and their Wishing Clocks to blow off in spring.
JHL Wine share Dandelion Vineyards’ delight for their receipt of a 5 star rating from James Halliday on his website (www.winecompanion.com.au) for their winery with their first releases! It can literally take decades to receive a five start rating, and as James says, usually only wines with a distinguished pedigree receive five glass ratings, so to receive such praise for the first year of releases is extraordinary.
YOU CAN BUY DANDELION VINEYARDS WINE ONLINE CLICK HERE>
Dandelion Vineyards
One of the ‘Best 10 new wineries’, One of the ‘Best of the Best’ and 5/5 stars (inaugural vintage)
“It may be a dauntingly competitive marketplace, but there can be few more promising new ventures than this one.”
“This is a highly impressive partnership between Peggy and Carl Lindner (40%), Elena and Zar Brooks (40%), and Fiona and Brad Rey (20%). It brings together vineyards spread across the Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula. Elena is not only the beautiful wife of industry dilettante Zar Brooks, but also an exceptionally gifted winemaker. It may be a dauntingly competitive marketplace, but there can be few more promising new ventures than this one.”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011-2012
Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE ‘Best of the Best 2010: new players to watch’
“Brooks has teamed up with his winemaking wife Elena, a woman whose talents are outweighed only by her tolerance, in an exciting new venture called Dandelion Vineyards. The approach is remarkably simple and sees Elena making wine from a suite of beautiful old vineyards identified by Carl Lindner and Brad Rey across that blessed curve that runs from the Barossa, up through the Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills and down into McLaren Vale.
The result is a line-up of wines that show the best in dedicated viticulture and sensitive winemaking, abandoning clutter and artifice for purity and poise. A trophy at the Brisbane show for their first release, the scintillatingly fresh 2009 Dandelion Vineyards Wonderland Of The Eden Valley Riesling, was the first indication, if any was really needed, that this project might be something special. We like to say we’ll be watching developments with great interest, but we know full well we’re going to be very well informed every step of the way.”
Nick Ryan, Gourmet Traveller Wine, April/May 2010
Elena Golakova-Brooks
Finalist, Young Guns of Wine Festival 2010
“The eleven young winemakers presented as the top finalists of The Awards have won their place based on a number of criteria including what that individual represents to consumers, how they represent the wine industry, their vision, originality and leadership, and naturally the quality of wine they put in the glass.”
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Wonderland of the Eden Valley’ Riesling
94/100 points
“A terrific expression of vintage and site.” (2011 vintage)
“From a vineyard planted in 1912. Transparency – that’s what it has. Delicate, clean and pure with floral perfume (like lavender), mixed citrus and lime zest. It’s tight and focussed with a deliciously long crunchy slatey finish. Altogether good. A terrific expression of vintage and site. Rated : 94 Points, Tasted : Aug11, Alcohol : 11.5%, Price : $30, Closure : Screwcap, Drink : 2012 – 2032.”
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, www.winefront.com.au, Sept 2011
Trophy
(2010 vintage – the second release of this wine and the second vintage it has been awarded a Trophy in this competition)
Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2010
94++ points
“Beautiful wine. Delicious!” (2010 vintage)
“Very very fine, persistent natural acidity which holds your mouth, pulls your mouth and makes you hungry.”
Philip White, InDaily News, June 2011 (Also check out Philip White’s blogspot, Drinkster: http://drinkster.blogspot.com/)
Trophy ‘Best dry white in 2009 classes’ (2009 vintage) - Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2009
Trophy ‘Most Outstanding Table Wine, Small Producer, Premium Classes’ (2009 vintage) - Barossa Valley Wine Show 2009
Top Gold Medal (2009 vintage) – Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2009
Gold Medal (2009 vintage) - Barossa Valley Wine Show 2009
Blue Gold Award (2009 vintage) - Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Fairytale of the Barossa’ Rosé
92/100 points (2011 vintage)
“From 85 year old vines. Watermelon, strawberry, rose, subtle vanilla. Intense acidity, has an alarming sort of clarity, very fresh. Touch of flint. Challenging level of acidity for a rose, but super fresh and lively. There’s a touch of sweetness left in there to smooth things out and a fresh strawberry finish. Tasted: Oct-11, Alcohol: 13.0%, Price: $30, Closure : Screwcap, Drink: 2011 – 2013+.”
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, www.winefront.com.au, Oct 2011
95/100 points (2011 vintage)
“An interesting slant on the vintage: a high natural acidity of 7.9 g/l, pH of 3.02 and less than 5 g/l of residual sugar. From 85-year-old vines, wild yeast-fermented in old French barrels. Bright pale pink, it is stacked with spicy red berry fruit with a long, lingering finish driven by crisp acidity. A serious wine. Screwcap. Drink by 2013. Alc 13%.”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion Newsletter, 5 October 2011
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Wishing Clock of the Adelaide Hills’ Sauvignon Blanc
One of the ‘Best of the Best by variety’
96/100 points (2009 vintage)
“Impressive wine; bell clear varietal expression on both bouquet and palate, and a gloriously supple mouthfeel seamlessly welding tropical and grassy/minerally flavours. Screwcap.”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011
Silver Medal (2009 vintage) - Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2009
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Twighlight of the Adelaide Hills’ Chardonnay
Blue Gold Award, Highly Commended (2008 vintage) - Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Lion’s Tooth of McLaren Vale’ Shiraz Riesling
94+/100 points
“(…) all the wholesomeness of Shiraz but it’s just neater, cleaner and a little tidier…” (2008 vintage)
“Zar and Elena Brooks at Dandelion Vineyards have released this lovely Shiraz which is a big, wholesome, fruity, traditional Australian Shiraz and it’s got 5% Riesling in it. The wine smells brighter, tighter – not so broad and blousey and jammy as your standard 15.5% Shiraz. It’s longer, it’s more slender. It still has all the wholesomeness of Shiraz but it’s just neater, cleaner and a little tidier…and it tastes good too. That little bit of extra limey acid seems to have drawn the wine a bit, it’s made it a bit leaner, a bit more slender and it makes me hungry! It’s more savoury. It’s put a little bit more effort in to its seduction of me. I think this is a really good idea. Provided it’s done carefully, Shiraz Riesling might just save us from ‘the jam’.”
Philip White, InDaily News, June 2011 (Also check out Philip White’s blogspot, Drinkster: http://drinkster.blogspot.com/)
Medal of the Order of Australian Wine (AWOM)
“Dandelion Vineyards may have a label straight out of a grade 6 drawing competition but the sentiment behind the label’s Lion’s Tooth of McLaren Vale 2007 shiraz riesling can’t be faulted: “Lion’s Tooth is a long forgotten but timeless Australian blend rejuvenated.’’ It tastes bloody good, too.”
Jeni Port, The Age, Epicure, Australia Day, 2010
Top 50 wines (2007 vintage) – Great Australian Shiraz Challenge 2009
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Lionheart of the Barossa’ Shiraz
Best Buy Wines – Wines to Cellar (2009 vintage)
“Winemaker Elena Brooks has overcome the burden of being married to one of the wine industry’s liveliest marketers Zar Brooks by making some excellent wines. The second vintage of Lionheart of the Barossa has vibrant floral aromatics highlighting blueberry notes. There are bright black plum, dark cherry and chocolate flavours that are rich and concentrated, fleshy almost velvety texture and balanced fine, ripe tannins. It has the structure, weight and tannins to improve over the next few years.”
Peter Forrestal, Gourmet Traveller Wine, ‘Best Buy Wines – Wines to Cellar’, Oct/Nov 2011
93/100 points (2009 vintage)
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012
95/100 points (2008 vintage)
“…must surely have been picked before the heatwave, its medium-bodied frame charged with supple plum, blackberry and black cherry fruit; French oak handling exemplary, as are the tannins…”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011
Blue Gold Award (2008 vintage) – Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
92/100 points (2008 vintage)
“It’s a serious wine. (…) Very Barossa. Very well put together.”
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, www.winefront.com.au
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Pride of the Fleurieu’ Cabernet
92/100 points (2007 vintage)
“The amount picked on 25 March and left to dry in baskets in Amarone style must have been a minor portion of the wine, which is remarkably fresh and juicy – and not alcoholic; cassis and red fruits to the fore…”
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011
Blue Gold Award (2007 vintage) – Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Red Queen of the Eden Valley’ Shiraz
‘Best of Shiraz’, 96/100 points, ‘Special Value’ (2008 vintage) - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012
Blue Gold Award (2008 vintage) – Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
Dandelion Vineyards ‘Legacy of the Barossa’ 30 Year Old Pedro Ximenéz
94/100 points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012
