Chain of Ponds Dandelion Best Wine Deals

6 smashing McLaren Shiraz for you to give the old tonsil test. The highlights? Dandelion’s 97 point Firehawk Farm Shiraz, which is one of the very best Shiraz made in McLaren Vale; Haselgrove’s rich and super smooth Catkin Shiraz; and Martin’s Limited 97 point Shiraz. The Curtis Small Batch is a ripper too, old vines and 96 points- black as the ace of spades and smooth as a smoothie. No filler here, these are all superb! Learn More

A few years back Max Allen suggested Grenache might be our best warm climate variety, even more so than Shiraz. Arguably Grenache more faithfully expresses terroir than Shiraz, copes with less water and handles heat better, making it ideal for an industry coming to grips with climate change.

Handily, it also makes world class wines, especially out of McLaren Vale. To quote James Halliday “Grenache is McLaren Vale’s secret weapon – not merely Australia’s best, but every bit as good as that of the Rhone Valley.”

So here’s 3 exceptional Grenache from the McLaren Vale …

3 bottles Dandelion Faraway Tree Grenache 2020... The best Grenache Elena Brooks can make, off the Firehawk vineyard. From the winemaker who was runner up in the Halliday Grenache Challenge with her Heirloom Alcala 2019.
3 bottles Curtis Small Batch - 95 pointer off 120 year old vines.
1 bottle Curtis Limited - 96 pointer off 100 year old vines.

All up, $670 worth of magnificent Grenache for just $199

Learn More

Sometimes only a chilled glass of Sauv Blanc will do. So here’s six exceptional examples for you to have a crack at... from Margaret River, Pemberton and the Adelaide Hills. Oatley’s Margs SBS picked up a Trophy and golds at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show and offers a beguiling mix of passionfruit, lime zest, white pepper and greenery. Picardy’s Sauv Blanc Sem (85% SB) is superb, with crisp fruit and great texture. No surprises that it has picked up a 96. Three distinct clones of SB are used along with 2 different yeast strains. On opening it seems soft and delicate but as it airs, minerality, guava, lime, passionfruit and all manner of complexities emerge. The Chain of Ponds SB is crisp and offers a lovely mix of greenery and passionfruit. The Riposte, made by the Legendary Tim and Nick Knappstein is textural, succulent and pungent, a joy to drink. Howard are major growers in the Adelaide Hills and supply substantial quantities of fruit to what are arguably the two best known producers of SB in the region. This, their own bottling, is of course excellent too. Finally the Cape Jaffa SB is also lovely with tropical fruits, citrus and more are at play. Learn More

Grenache from former Penfolds Growers, Old Vine Grenache which has just picked up 95 from Sam Kim and Kim Brebach. Complex 2018 Bordeaux, magnificent 95 point Grenache from Dandelion which was sourced entirely from their Firehawk Farm vineyard and a magic blend of air-dried Corvina, Rondinella and Merlot from the Veneto. All of these have been through the tasting panel and been thumbsed up- so you can grab one of these sixers with confidence. Learn More

A tiny production, single vineyard Riesling from the Eden, textural and aromatic Sauv Blanc from legend Tim Knappstein, fragrant and creamy PG and a zesty Sauv Blanc from Chain of Ponds. These are all drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so over the next couple of years. The Riesling, a joy now, will spread its wings over the next decade, if you have the patience. Learn More

Every year we bust out a best of 'Straya (Australia) mixed doz Summer celebration type pack. Sometimes they sell truckloads, other times they sell bugger all. We'll leave you to vote with your wallets on this one, but we reckon it is far and away the best to date, featuring 3 whites and 9 reds which are amongst the best wines we produce here in Oz. Collectively, these have snaffled 9 trophies, 6 Top Gold Medals, 20 Gold Medals, 2 x 97 pointers, 6 x 96ers and Winestate Mag's award for Cabernet of the year.

Learn More