A 6th generation Barossan, Dan Standish established his eponymous winery in 1999 whilst still working as winemaker at Torbreck Vintners. His endeavour initially began around an ancient parcel of Shiraz owned and farmed by his father… All batches of fruit are fermented and matured individually then follows a strict selection in the winery that can see as much as 80% of the original blend discarded and sold off in bulk. As with the finest producers in Europe only the finest material is sold under the Standish Wine Company label.
Stylistically Dan’s wines are as rich and profound as you would expect from Barossa Valley old vines but they have a satin texture and dreamy perfume that sets them far apart from his contemporaries. Here, dark fruits are encased in cocoa and earthy richness but with gentle spice, soil tone, asphalt and a stony minerality that gives the wines a beautiful dimension. These are special Australian wines.
96 Points Gary Walsh
From the Standish Family Vineyard on Siegersdorf Road, Vine Vale. 1912 planting.
Black fruit, liquorice, earth, grilled meat with pepper, dried roses, vanilla and exotic spices. Full bodied, rich and ripe, but savoury and controlled, thick with sooty and pleasantly raw-edged tannin, dense brooding flavour, a pulse of fresh acidity, then tannin and tar ‘n spice rolling into the long finish, and a surprising lingering mouth-perfume of roses and plums. Lots of layers here, and a more ‘natural’ feel than many Barossa Shiraz. It’s pretty bloody good. Drink 2018-2035.
