Dandelion Vineyards, Eden Valley (Barossa, South Australia) Shiraz 2020

 Just to be sure I don’t anger the Queen, my formal designation for this wine botches her full title, which on the label reads, “Red Queen of the Eden Valley.”  Even at this early stage in the wine’s development, it is phenomenally complex and interesting, showing power as well as freshness and layers upon layers of compelling accents.  It has already soaked up most of the wood involved in its upbringing, allowing the extraordinary fruit to show its many facets as well as a whole host of accents ranging from lifted floral notes to deeply flavored blackberry preserves.  Priced as this is for a very special occasion, it needs to be truly compelling for me to support it enthusiastically, but truly compelling is exactly what it is.  Wicked good wine now, and likely better and better over the next two decades.