Standish

[Hunter]

Called into Dans for a quick tasting this arvo, music cranking.. 2016s are the real deal. Better then last year.
You cant go wrong really. Id suggest getting a mixed 6. Or 12. Each showing a dramatic difference. Relic the standout. Also a first, straight viognier. Pretty limited tho. 20th vintage this year. A mintaro to come next year. And hopefully a Grenache the following. Look out.
Climate controls the secret. Aswel as his good looks. And some ok wine making.
Get onboard

[sjw_11]

I am not that familiar with this operation but this is a heck of a flowery tasting note they wrote for the Relic...

"Delicately portioned and beautifully balanced its fragrant notes of acacia petal, crème de cassis and parfait amour are supported by an underlying swath of Szechuan pepper, Guatemalan cocoa and damp limestone."

Can someone tell me how Guatemalan cocoa differs from other South American cocoa?

[Hunter]

Who the hell wrote that. Standish ? Heres my note..
Its fkn good!

[dave vino]

Chalk and cheese Sam. High altitude vs the lower altitudes makes all the difference. I'm surprised they didn't list the grower as well (if they had any credibility they would have).

I find Standish at the edge of the precipice always thinking it is going to go in to the too jammy/overblown path and being held back by just enough balance. (think Duck Muck)

[michel]

Called into Dans for a quick tasting this arvo, music cranking.. 2016s are the real deal. Better then last year.
You cant go wrong really. Id suggest getting a mixed 6. Or 12. Each showing a dramatic difference. Relic the standout. Also a first, straight viognier. Pretty limited tho. 20th vintage this year. A mintaro to come next year. And hopefully a Grenache the following. Look out.
Climate controls the secret. Aswel as his good looks. And some ok wine making.
Get onboard

Mintaro will be a shiraz from Clare
Interestingly i will be cellar door in two weeks for a squizz

[Hunter]

Ask for a sneeky barrel sample? Hel look after you. I didnt tell you tho.
Drop in to the resturant if you have time.

[David Librandi]

Hi Hunter

I am heading to Dan's next week. Lets try and hook up there!!

[Hunter]

Hi dave, What day are you planing? Are you staying down ?

[David Librandi]

Hi mate. Just waiting on Dan to confirm. Just a day trip so looking Wed or Thurs at approx. 10.30am Dan's.

[ticklenow1]

We did a tasting on Saturday with Dan and my two favourites were The Standish and the Lamella. I do agree that they are better across the board than the 2015’s. Of the 2015’s I preferred the Schubert Therom. It drank really well young and was probably better than the 2016 version.

It was great to be able to have a decent chat with Dan as the cellar door was very busy last year. Dan gave some insights into the Barossa that I found very interesting.

I had the Viogner at a mates in Sydney a few weeks back and it was very, very impressive. Great food wine.

Some of the younger winemakers in the Barossa are making some very impressive wines. Brett Grocke (Eperosa), Fraser McKinley (Sami Odi), Dan Standish (Standish) and Ben Chipman (Tomfoolery) to name the most impressive I tasted this trip down. Abel from Ruggabellus is also making some very impressive wines, but I didn’t get to taste them this time around.

Cheers
Ian

[Hunter]

Tomfoolery, yes. Killer wines. Similar in style. Kind ov. That extracted polished. Does a nice straight cab franc. Monkey business? Worth catching up w him. And a great host

[ticklenow1]

Tomfoolery, yes. Killer wines. Similar in style. Kind ov. That extracted polished. Does a nice straight cab franc. Monkey business? Worth catching up w him. And a great host

The straight Cab Franc is amazing. Loved the Cab Shiraz for a mid weeker. Had the pleasure of having a round of golf with Ben and he’s a great bloke as well. We enjoyed a few too many drinks after golf too! He’s really passionate about his wine like many of the younger winemakers kicking around the Barossa.

Cheers
Ian

[Brucer]

My notes on the 2016s on the first day.
2016 Relic.
Krondorf single vineyard.
This is the shiraz viognier wine. and this year its 16% alcohol.
One wine has to come last of the 4 this vintage.
In saying that I would drink this every day.
The alcohol is showing, but everything else sits well.
A finely tuned Standish masterpiece. 9.4

2016 The Standish
Single Vineyard Greenock
Silky sweet fruit leads the way, then after a couple of hours open, the slight green side becomes apparent. Not to the level of Sami-odi, but its the wine Dan wants to make, and its got the richness to it that balances things out.
Structure is perfect, great length, wonderful balance, very drinkable today. 9.5

2016 Schubert Theorum
Single vineyard Marananga.
Shit, this is good. Balance and balance, deep dark and mysterious, and oh so drinkable....just beautiful.
I will leave it to the experts to describe the wine, but it very special. 9.6

2016 Lamella
Single vineyard Eden Valley.
I need to get up off my knees after praying to the wine god since opening this.
Its got a finish that seems to go on forever and it gently sucks my cheeks inwards and makes my toes curl.
It tells me that its Eden Valley, very clean perfume, not as pretty as a Henschke, but packs a lot more then the Mt Eds we had on Friday. As with all Standish wines, balance is bloody perfect, huge depth of fruit, superior tannin structure and its so drinkable now.
Maybe less fleshy then the 2015, but just as good. A wine to sip.
Its so bullshit good , its outrageous.
Dont buy it all, leave some for me. 9.8

[Brucer]

I did it all again yesterday, made notes, and then came back today....day 3. Things have changed....
There was less then 25mm of wine in each bottle from yesterday.
The Standish.
This is firing, was the best improver yesterday, and it just lovely today. 9.6
Lamella.
Still amazing cheek melting tannins, I am loving this. 9.7
Schubert
Tannins have risen to the challenge here, almost showing oxidisation on the fruit level, but the back end rocks.
Marananga fruit. Is that the best part of Barossa? I would say so. 9.6
Relic
This has fallen into line, its a bit like a party, tannins are showing, makes me smile. 9.6

[sjw_11]

So I have just seen the order form for these and we are talking $95/bottle across the range... Which puts them, what, 40%+ higher than Basket Press or Charlie Melton's reds... and basically at the top end of the Barossa pricing except for the stupid Chateau Tanunda super-special whatever wines and the like.

Heck it doesn't put them that far different to the Rockie's SVS, similar to Yarra Yering (despite their best efforts to push up prices), and not all that far off the world of Giaconda, Moss Wood, Cullen etc- all wines with 20+ year track records. It's over 60% more than Wendouree or 50% more than Tyrrell's Vat 9 (via private bin).

Not to mention the multiple of the price on Marius.

I mean, are they really that good? I bought both Sami-Odi and Marius sight unseen on the basis of this forum's recommendation, and that was a very good call. But I am struggling to get to that price point, at least without having the chance to taste the wines myself.

[JakeBarnes]

So I have just seen the order form for these and we are talking $95/bottle across the range... Which puts them, what, 40%+ higher than Basket Press or Charlie Melton's reds... and basically at the top end of the Barossa pricing except for the stupid Chateau Tanunda super-special whatever wines and the like.

Heck it doesn't put them that far different to the Rockie's SVS, similar to Yarra Yering (despite their best efforts to push up prices), and not all that far off the world of Giaconda, Moss Wood, Cullen etc- all wines with 20+ year track records. It's over 60% more than Wendouree or 50% more than Tyrrell's Vat 9 (via private bin).

Not to mention the multiple of the price on Marius.

I mean, are they really that good? I bought both Sami-Odi and Marius sight unseen on the basis of this forum's recommendation, and that was a very good call. But I am struggling to get to that price point, at least without having the chance to taste the wines myself.

They are at the ceiling of my budget too, though a fraction of the price of Hill of Grace and Mount Ed etc, which according to Gary Walsh’s latest reviews are no better than the Lamella, for instance. $95 is also a lot cheaper than certain other wines that attracted big Parker scores in the early 2000s (I think he scored a few at 99 points).

Agree they aren’t cheap though

[ticklenow1]

No, $95 is not cheap. But when you compare them to a Mt Edelstone, they are a bargain. $100 is normally my limit so they just scrape in. I would not normally buy wines at that price without tasting them first (or at the very least read a review from a trusted palate), which I've been lucky enough to do the last couple of years. The last 2 vintages have impressed my greatly. Yes they are big wines but the balance is almost perfect. I have made the mistake of buying too many of these big Barossa bruisers that are quite frankly, just not aging well at all. I am starting to get a better handle on which ones will age through experience and I believe the Standish wines will hold up very well.

Cheers
Ian

[Hunter]

So I have just seen the order form for these and we are talking $95/bottle across the range... Which puts them, what, 40%+ higher than Basket Press or Charlie Melton's reds... and basically at the top end of the Barossa pricing except for the stupid Chateau Tanunda super-special whatever wines and the like.

Heck it doesn't put them that far different to the Rockie's SVS, similar to Yarra Yering (despite their best efforts to push up prices), and not all that far off the world of Giaconda, Moss Wood, Cullen etc- all wines with 20+ year track records. It's over 60% more than Wendouree or 50% more than Tyrrell's Vat 9 (via private bin).

Not to mention the multiple of the price on Marius.

I mean, are they really that good? I bought both Sami-Odi and Marius sight unseen on the basis of this forum's recommendation, and that was a very good call. But I am struggling to get to that price point, at least without having the chance to taste the wines myself.

Thats alot of fun statistics,
Just bite the bullet and buy some.
You wont be disappointed.

[sjw_11]

So I have just seen the order form for these and we are talking $95/bottle across the range... Which puts them, what, 40%+ higher than Basket Press or Charlie Melton's reds... and basically at the top end of the Barossa pricing except for the stupid Chateau Tanunda super-special whatever wines and the like.

Heck it doesn't put them that far different to the Rockie's SVS, similar to Yarra Yering (despite their best efforts to push up prices), and not all that far off the world of Giaconda, Moss Wood, Cullen etc- all wines with 20+ year track records. It's over 60% more than Wendouree or 50% more than Tyrrell's Vat 9 (via private bin).

Not to mention the multiple of the price on Marius.

I mean, are they really that good? I bought both Sami-Odi and Marius sight unseen on the basis of this forum's recommendation, and that was a very good call. But I am struggling to get to that price point, at least without having the chance to taste the wines myself.

Thats alot of fun statistics,
Just bite the bullet and buy some.
You wont be disappointed.

Love it... I will think about it. Its Tyrrell's Red release, plus Bdx and Port en primeur season this month and I still need to buy my annual Rockies's Cab and Sparkling Shiraz.

[Hunter]

Well your in trouble then..
Get to know Dan.
You might get them cheaper.

[phillisc]

Well your in trouble then..
Get to know Dan.
You might get them cheaper.

Hunter,
Don't think that's the case... unless I can offer free meals or the like
Cheers
Craig

[michel]

Just tasted through the range on Saturday with Dan
He is an intelligent and brilliant communicator
His son scored 3 goals on Saturday
The wines are the most balanced perfumed I have tried from Barossa in many years
If you haven't tried them then you must.
Bit big for me but oh so balanced.

[cteague]

2017s should be making their way out soon, anyone had the pleasure of trying any yet?

I hear it's the same lineup of wines as last year, which is apparently a first.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Wow, 16% alcohol on one of the Standish wines! That is scary, and off the radar for me and would never be a buy unless it was something else, like an Amarone. Also, give me a Rockford, Wendouree, Mosswood, Giaconda, Melton, etc. instead of a new kid on the block for the same or more. My two cents, sorry.

Mahmoud.

[Ozzie W]

Wow, 16% alcohol on one of the Standish wines! That is scary, and off the radar for me and would never be a buy unless it was something else, like an Amarone. Also, give me a Rockford, Wendouree, Mosswood, Giaconda, Melton, etc. instead of a new kid on the block for the same or more. My two cents, sorry.

Mahmoud.

If anyone can make a properly balanced wine at 16%, Dan Standish can. He might not have the history of Rockford, Wendouree, et al, but he makes up for it with sheer winemaking brilliance. While the style is not my thing anymore (not just Standish but SA reds in general), I can certainly appreciate what he does.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Maybe so Ozzie, but not my cup of tea. Wines that hit 15% alcohol and above are off limits for me, unless they are vermouth, amarone, or something else. A wine that hits the 15% mark usually gets put back on the shelf. I have done it a number of times, especially with Aussie shiraz and GSMs. One time I saw a Schild Estate single vineyard premium wine on sale for half price (this was before their wine scandal) but it was 15% alcohol and I decided to give it a miss. No regrets. Life is too short for high alcohol wines, thank you very much.

[phillisc]

Dipped my toe in the water last year and brought a couple of cases of the 16s off the back of a single bottle of the 15 which I thought was brilliant. My costliest purchase for 2018.
Mahmoud, I know where you are coming from, but never been put off by high alcohol in wine, yes might be a slight burn but Bowen's, Noon's and Greenock Creek's at 16.5% have been ok...and got me used to big thumpers!
Its the slow learner in the morning where I really pay for it, was drinking Four Pillars Yarra Valley Gin, the Navy Strength variety at 58%, over Easter. Had a hell of a hangover, with my head in a vice the next day, but sure enough will repeat the process.

Might get a few of the 17s...will wait and see.
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Craig, for me the morning "thumpers" come from hitting the single malt after the dinner and wines. The last time this happened I woke up to a brandy glass next to my bedside table and thought "Oh, we must have hit the scotch last night." I knew it was a Dufftown 12 only because it was the open bottle!

Cheers .............. Mahmoud.

PS: It's what I'm sipping while I write this!

[Ozzie W]

Maybe so Ozzie, but not my cup of tea. Wines that hit 15% alcohol and above are off limits for me, unless they are vermouth, amarone, or something else. A wine that hits the 15% mark usually gets put back on the shelf. I have done it a number of times, especially with Aussie shiraz and GSMs. One time I saw a Schild Estate single vineyard premium wine on sale for half price (this was before their wine scandal) but it was 15% alcohol and I decided to give it a miss. No regrets. Life is too short for high alcohol wines, thank you very much.

Not my cup of tea now either, Mahmoud. My sweet spot is 12 to 13.5% these days. I used to like these big Barossa wines a lot 5+ years ago and I bought a lot of Standish. I'm slowly getting rid of them as I no longer want to drink them and they're just taking up valuable cellar space.

I've still got a couple bottles of 2013 Warrabilla Durif Limited Release Parola's which have an ABV of 17.5%
I first tried a bottle in 2014 and loved it. Surprisingly, it didn't taste hot. So I bought a couple more to cellar. Now I have zero interest to drink them.

[ticklenow1]

I'll be there next Saturday and I'm hoping Dan has the '17's to taste. The 16's were well and truly released this time last year.