Standish Wines
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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
Simply put, Dan Standish produces the best Shiraz to come out of the Barossa, hence our excitement to be Dan’s UK importer. 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 follow 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.
Dan is credited as being one of the most experienced winemakers in Barossa, not only for his incredible work at the great Torbreck winery but also working with his friend Jaysen Collins of JC’s Own, on their joint project Massena. He has also spent time honing his talents working vintages in both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California and Rioja in Spain, but his real passion developed through the experience gained whilst working in France’s Rhône Valley. The time in Rhône working with Shiraz, which Dan is almost unrivalled in his expertise with, and the techniques he learned there led to the creation of The Relic in which Dan co-ferments a small quantity of Viognier with Shiraz to create a wine that stands up to the very best in the northern Rhône.
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 very special Australian wines.
The Standish 2016 wines cemented Dan’s reputation as one of Barossa’s greatest winemakers even further when several of his wines including The Relic and The Standish were awarded a huge 99 points by Robert Parker.com. Dan's reputation as one of the emerging greats of Barossa has recently been recognized when his wines were included on the list of The Barossa Super 100 Classification, the first ever regional classification, highlighting some of Barossa's very best and most sought after wines.