The Standish Wine Company crafts a selection of small-volume, single-site wines from various locations in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. Founded in 1999 by Dan Standish, a pivotal figure in the Barossa, the company has gained renown for its exceptional offerings. After leaving Torbreck in 2000—shortly before it achieved Langton’s Classified status—Standish co-founded Massena, a label instrumental in redefining modern Barossa Valley winemaking. His expertise extends internationally, having made wine in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Spain’s Rioja, and France’s Rhone Valley. Standish's goal is to highlight the Barossa's finest vineyards with wines that marry power and finesse. He has earned a reputation for creating wines with a distinctive 'X-factor,' showcasing both his skill and the unique terroirs of the region.
Dense and robust, this wine showcases the impeccable purity drawn from Vine Vale's renowned sandy flints. Tightly wound and reserved, it reveals deep-set aromas of coal, pressed currant, and black truffle, complemented by evocative notes of tilled soil, beef broth, and slow-roasted meats. Dark and brooding, with immense concentration, persistence, and energy, it embodies a heroic style, elegantly wrapped in a long, fine cloak of silky tannins.
"The 2024 The Standish Shiraz is typically powerful, savory, closed and spiced here. The nose leads with sweet paprika dolce, brick dust, rose petal, black cherry and licorice. Like all the 2024 Shirazes tasted today, the palate here is silky and structural."
"In fact, tasting these wines side by side, The Relic is more tannic, but this is firmer, in its way. This is ever the wine in the lineup that shows a clear sense of place. It tastes like the power and the shape that the Barossa effortlessly grows from the ground up. It is impressive and impactful."
"The 2024 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard (the fruit for the 2026 vintage is being picked today, as I stand in the winery with Dan and taste), in Greenock, with 50% whole bunches in the ferment, up from 30% last vintage. I always say that the best amount of whole bunches for me is as much as I can taste; this simple means that whole bunches from Barossa taste the same as whole bunches from Rhône, and both obscure the place in which the fruit was grown."
"Since that sense of place is at the heart of why I buy, drink and collect wine, I prefer it not to dominate the drinking experience. As usual, the Standish wines harness whole bunches as a tool for texture, structure and complexity but are rarely consumed by it."
98 Pts Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
