2024 Dandelion Vineyards Wonderland Riesling, Eden Valley

Pale straw with a flash of green. Freshly squeezed lime and Bickford's cordial tones along with hints of washed rind cheese, Christmas lily and clover blossom, makrut lime, crushed quartz, citrus zest, green apple sorbet and a hit of lemongrass. Super savoury, dry and focused with a liminal ache of umami that sits just outside of the field of vision. It's a cracking drink. Drink 2025 to 2038.

95 points, Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2025

This crisp, tangy white has aromas of lime blossoms, crushed rocks, white peaches, grapefruit and lemons. It’s light- to medium-bodied, dry and racy, with an invigorating zestiness and a pristine, minerally finish. From a vineyard planted in 1912. Drink now or hold.

95 points Claire Nesbitt for James Suckling, November 2024

Light lemon yellow hue. Papaya, lime zest and green melon aromatics. Palate has a wonderful density to the melon and citrus fruits, sweetness adds a depth with notes of pastry accentuating it. Bright acidity lifts and lightens it, adding a crunch to the flow and that drives it long and crisp to the finish. Drink 2025 to 2040.

93 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, February 2025

This initially reserved and fresh fruited 2024 Riesling Wonderland of the Eden Valley shows limey/citrus fruits laced with fine stony/spicy detail. This shows light weight with riper pear and red apple flavors underpinned by stony complexity. All is supported by chalky well integrated acidity that delivers a focused finish. A style that is already enjoyable but with solid aging potential. Drink 2024 to 2030.

92 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, July 2024

Elena Brooks founded Dandelion Vineyards with a clear intent: to make wines that speak plainly of the places they come from. Born in Bulgaria and trained in oenology in Australia, she has worked vintages across Europe and South Australia before settling in McLaren Vale. Her winemaking philosophy is built around restraint — spending time in the vineyard, then stepping back in the winery.

Colin Kroehn tended his Eden Valley Riesling vines for 66 of his 86 years. The Kroehn vineyard was planted in 1912 and remains the source for some of the best Riesling fruit in the valley, a true Wonderland.

Whole bunches were hand-picked in the last week of March, destemmed in small batches without crushing and pressed gently to preserve the free-run juice. Cold fermented at 11–14°C in small tanks, bottled with minimal intervention. Fermented dry to a modest 11.5% alcohol.

Lime, lemon sherbet, makrut lime and lemongrass on the nose with crushed quartz, honeysuckle and a hint of clover blossom — fresh and precise with real aromatic depth. The palate has more density than the alcohol suggests: intense citrus and melon fruit with a savoury, almost umami quality sitting just underneath, carried by a searing line of acidity to a long, mineral finish.

Exhilarating in youth and with solid cellaring potential ahead of it. One of the more versatile whites you'll open this year. The wine's acidity cuts through the richness while the citrus and mineral depth finds a natural match in anything from the sea that's been treated with some care: freshly shucked scallops with a yuzu beurre blanc and crispy capers, a whole roasted snapper with ginger, spring onion and soy, or bugs with tarragon mayonnaise.

Drink now through 2034.