Standish The Standish Shiraz 2020

James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2022

Dan Standish has the Barossa Valley running through his veins. A 6th Generation native, Dan created his Standish label in 1999 whilst still working at Torbreck. Today his wines are some of the most highly sought-after in the world and are critically acclaimed both here in Australia and internationally.

"Amazing aromas of metal shavings, cloves, spices, and black and blue fruits. Violets, too. Full-bodied with creamy tannins. Cured meat with iron earth. Almost slatey. Very sophisticated and classy. Drinkable, but this is one to age ideally for a minimum of five years."  James Suckling

Erin Larkin reviews the 2020 Standish The Standish Shiraz (6:07 into the video)

Expert reviews

"Amazing aromas of metal shavings, cloves, spices, and black and blue fruits. Violets, too. Full-bodied with creamy tannins. Cured meat with iron earth. Almost slatey. Very sophisticated and classy. Drinkable, but this is one to age ideally for a minimum of five years. Try after 2027."  James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com - 98 points and Top 100 Wines of Australia 2022 

"The 2020 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, in Greenock. The first vintage was 1999. This vintage saw 30% whole bunches in the ferment. It offers notes of red dirt, a bit of blood, salted heirloom tomato and satsuma plum. This is concentrated, compacted, plush, dense and muscular, with notes of ras el'hanout, allspice, torched cinnamon and salted Dutch licorice. This wine is like playing 'Magic Eye'. There's a lot going on, but if you relax, a pattern emerges and the detail becomes obvious for all to see. Within the fine but plushly tannic frame, there is saltbush and bay leaf, exotic spice and cascading layers of berry fruits. The dirt in which the roots are entangled similarly shows its colors—and these are red, ochre, earth and dust. At first glance, the foolish and the rash will overlook this for being singularly muscular and full-bodied, but like all the best IYKYK (if you know, you know—wink wink) scenarios, there is far more than meets the palate here. Another blockbuster Standish. Drink 2022 - 2042."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 96 points

"To my way of thinking, there's not many better producers in the Barossa than Standish. The acidity feels right, and the quality of tannin is something quite different to the mainstream. Not sure how they do it, but surely there's a little pixie dust in the mix here? This is 100% Greenock Shiraz, from the Laycock vineyard. I live in a street with 'cock' included in the name, so I feel an affinity, as such.

A little vanilla and floral perfume, blueberry, boysenberry, a little earth and spice. Blue fruit, spice, shows a little creamy vanilla oak, supple but dense tannin, freshness, and a sweet tea like perfume on a long finish. Maybe some raspberry. Excellent, somewhat more approachable in style, and obvious, than the other wines from Standish in 2020, but charming and lovely all the same. More than a bit yummy. 2023-2037."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 95 points

Awards

Top 100 Wines of Australia 2022 - James Suckling

The standish

100% Shiraz. Sourced from the Laycock Family Vineyard, Greenock. Planted on own roots in 2002 (5.39 Hectare – 9ft x 6ft spacing). Dan Standish has worked closely with this great vineyard since 2005. Ironstone gravels and layered schist on a bedrock of solid ironstone at 314m above sea level. With its easterly aspect protecting it from the harsh western afternoon sun and the gentle sloped gravels draining away any untimely excess rainfall. Bedded deep on their own roots in fragmented ironstone and layered schist this Shiraz clone is in its element.

"Right clone, right aspect, it's all about the place. Ironstone gravels and layered schist on a bedrock of solid ironstone at 314m above sea level."  Dan Standish 

About the Winery

Dan Standish has the Barossa Valley running through his veins. A 6th Generation native, Dan created his Standish label in 1999 whilst still working at Torbreck. Today his wines are some of the most highly sought-after in the world and are critically acclaimed both here in Australia and internationally.

Standish Wine Company is a strikingly beautiful winery located in the Barossa Valley. The winery and vineyards are owned by Dan and Nicole Standish. Dan was first introduced to the art of pruning grape vines by his grandfather at the young age of six in their ancestral vineyard. He founded The Standish Wine Company in 1999 after securing a section of his family vineyard in the Barossa Valley. The same ancient plants that Dan carefully hand pruned are now used to produce his old vine shiraz, fittingly titled 'The Relic'.

Dan and Nicole work side by side at their modern, cavernous winery. The large stone and brick building is framed by lavender bushes and grand old vines. They purchased the site in 2013 a decade after it was built by French-managed company The Colonial Estate. The structure is like something straight out of France's Rhone Valley or Spain's Rioja, both parts of the world that Dan has worked in. He also made wine in California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys, before working for Torbreck. 

The estate produces a number of examples of Barossa Shiraz, including 'The Relic', 'The Standish', The Schubert Theorem and Lamella. Each wine is produced with the utmost attention to detail, blending traditional techniques with modern technology.