Vintage
2022
ABV
14.5%
Wine Type
Red
Wine Style
Still
Wine Description
The Faraway Tree Grenache is Dandelion's portal to alternate reality of McLaren Vale Grenache.
The Faraway Tree Grenache is a part of our Firehawk Farm, a single biodynamically run vineyard perched atop an ancient ridge overlooking McLaren Vale the Willunga escarpment and the Gulf St Vincent. Firehawk is our Native Bird of Prey that soars over our vineyards; acting as scarecrow to other birds, rabbits and the like that eat ripening grapes.
Selected bunches were handpicked by family and friends in early March. We gently crushed half of the fruit over whole bunches into open top fermenters. After 10 days of fermentation the wine was basket pressed into French oak barrels, a third new and the balance seasoned. This was followed by 18 months maturation with minimal winemaking artefact before bottling, to capture the essence of the vineyard. The wine will reward cellaring and decanting.
Winemaker's Bio
Elena Brooks, Founder and Chief Winemaker.
Elena Brooks left her native Bulgaria to study oenology in Australia where she earned a Bachelor of Science in oenology from the University of Australia. Though Australia remains her adopted viticultural home, she has crafted wines in Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Highly skilled and experienced, Elena has a long list of accolades including being part of the team that crafted Geoff Merrill Reserve Shiraz 2004, which in 2005 earned Australia's highest winemaking award: the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial. Recently, in 2020, Dandelion Vineyard has been awarded New World Producer of the Year at the prestigious Sommelier Wine Awards, UK.