2023 Releases
"Patience is not merely waiting for something to happen but the ability to maintain a positive attitude during that time.
Patience was fundamental to the 2023 harvest in the Barossa, with the grape picking extending well into May, almost a month later than average.
As grape growers we are farmers and as the saying goes, we always have “one eye on the sky”. Habitually hoping for more rain in our parched landscape, at this critical time of year prior to harvest however, rain is the antagonist.
The ripening phase saw a handful of pesky precipitation events each of which arrived with vexatious timing. To harvest or not to harvest? The repeated question, each time.
The Risk – pick too early and risk thin green under ripe grapes or too late and risk dilute flavours or to lose the entire crop at the hands of fungal diseases or split berries.
The Gain – an extra week or two of sunshine and photosynthesis to increase tannin and anthocyanin in the grape’s seeds and stalks. Ripe and complex grape flavours.
The Results (with Patience):
This gentle elongated ripening creating a special vintage giving us wines of great lusciousness and complexity. Crunchy forefront tannins from the grape skins in conjunction with mellow rounder toning, mouth filling tannin from riper grape seeds. Grip and drive from the lignified stalks alongside the invigorating natural acidity retained due to the cool season, all harmonising to give billowy flow and incredible intricacy.
Some of our most complex and captivating wines to date.
Patience; risky, perhaps – worthwhile, definitely!" - Dan Standish
2023 Standish Review by Erin Larkin
2023 The Standish
Laycock Family Vineyard, Greenock
100% Shiraz
The Vinorium review by Stuart McCloskey
Tasted April 2025
"Glass staining violet colour – wonderful gloss to the wine too… The bouquet is explosive to put it mildly and leads with mint, mulberry, crème de mûre, dark chocolate, exotic spices, iron filings, graphite and iodine. A mix of florals, minerals and seaweed emerge after more time in my glass. This is incredibly dense and feels bottomless – It’s astonishing how Dan extracts such concentration and intrigue. The palate follows a similar, blacker-than-black path – akin to jumping off a cliff and falling forever. This is such an authoritative wine that drives with ripe mulberry, blackberry, violet pastille, liquorice, mulberry compote, mocha, black olive, alpine herbs, and layers of iron-borne minerals. The tannins spread across the palate and play a vital part to the wine’s overall balance. Essentially, they stand up to the saturated fruit and ripeness. The length is astonishing and tapers off into the abyss with a hint of orange zest. Profoundly good winemaking and comfortably sits alongside Australia’s elite. This is destined for a very long life. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is drinking like a distant dream in 2075… Decanted for 24-hours (poured back into the bottle – cork left out) Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware. Astonishing."
The Wine Front review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 6 June 2025
'The Standish standard of Standish wines.
GW: Mocha and caramel here, quite a lot of oak, blackberry, pepper and dried herbs. Purple fruit, drying grainy tannin, mocha with an orange tang, feels quite sooty, and the finish has espresso coffee with a clip of bitterness. Grainy feel. Solid length. May come good. 91+ points.
MB: A very beefy, meaty release adorned with lots of tobacco and sandalwood, garam masala spice, dark plum, cola, stewed berries and chewy, dusty tannin in tow. It feels a little drying and firm in its way. Good intensity and concentration here, a fuller figured expression and big impact for those seeking it, but perhaps missing the finesse that often comes with Standish’s releases. The veering into dry-reddy territory is the quibble. 92 points'.
Halliday review by Dave Brookes
Published on 26 June 2025
'The long, extended '23 vintage manifests itself beautifully in the glass with this release. It could be from nowhere else but the Barossa – the Laycock vineyard in Greenock to be precise. Fruit purity is a leitmotif of the Standish wines and, again, it's peaking the meter in '23, with deep black cherry and satsuma plum fruits at its core. There's fruit density and power here but finesse and detail are close at hand. Tendrils of exotic bunchy spice move through the wine, with glimpses of sandalwood, dried purple flowers, charcuterie, tapenade and the ferruginous stamp of place. What I love about this release is the tension between fruit weight, fine tannin heft and mineral cadence. There is precision and power and that is a very attractive thing indeed.'
97/100
2023 The Schubert Theorem
Roennfeldt Road, Marananga
100% Shiraz
The Vinorium review by Stuart McCloskey
Tasted April 2025
"I am not sure what sense I would miss the most - the ability to smell or taste? Save to say, this is another magical bouquet that rivets you to the spot. Certainly, a little deeper and more brooding than the ’23 Lamella. Each vintage of Schubert Theorem provides the unmissable marine influence – salt, iodine and nori coalesce beautifully with graphite / lead pencil, crème de mûre, mulberry compote, bay leaf, violet, iris, and dark pastille fruits and finishes with mineralité and a vein of blood orange. Fascinating, engaging, wonderfully grown-up, reserved (deliberately so) and sits on the savoury side. Just perfect for me… At first glance – the palate delivers similar qualities to that of the bouquet (wrapped-up in ribbons of silky tannins). She’s mellifluous and caresses like an angel. Tannins and acidity provide sculpted, structure. There is no other wine like Schubert Theorem in Australia. It has all the concentration of a truly great, Aussie wine however, has the poise and grace of a wine from Margaux. Of course, there’s the wine’s exotic personality which resonates proudly. This needs 10-15 years to unlock her true beauty, but she still deserves to be on the world stage. I genuinely find sampling Schubert Theorem an emotional experience. Each year, another extraordinary wine is born. I am humbled and so lucky to sample this ahead of the rest of the world. Decanted for 24-hours (poured back into the bottle – cork left out) Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware. Drink now to 2050…"
The Wine Front review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 6 June 2025
'If there was an award for the world’s blackest label, this would be it.
GW: Raspberry conserve, toasty oak, red capsicum, spice, tobacco and chocolate. Deep and rich wine, quite toasty with roasted coffee bean flavour, blackberry and blueberry, quite some sandy grip to tannin, orange peel, dark and spicy on a finish of good, but drying, length. 92+ points.
MB: Bold, meaty and very concentrated. An inward concentration to infinity with blackberry coulis, prune and fig, date and salted Brazil nuts, dark chocolate drinking powder, roasted capsicum and beetroot with lots of clove and bitter herbs. Very firm tannin profile, drying, powdery finish with a wall of chalky pucker. A kind of oafish nature to the wine, a sticky richness and palate-staining overtness. The finish a touch bitter with smoky tannin. Character, intensity, for sure. Not quite to the pace and finesse of past releases, but worthy for impact. 93 points'
Halliday review by Dave Brookes
Published on 26 June 2025
'The '23 release of the Schubert Theorem is just gorgeous. It's kinetic. The purest of plum, black cherry and blueberry fruits stretch impossibly long on the palate, with impressive density and a real sense of grace to its travel. The edges are smooth and round here and there is a calmness as it glides across the palate, the tannins more in the powdery spectrum (and I'm sure this comes from the portion that spends its gestation in a concrete Nomblot egg). Bunch (50% or thereabouts) is bang on here, lending a golden ratio of spice, sinew and texture. But man, that pure rolling swell of fruit is the star; this is a wonderfully composed wine.'
98/100
2023 Lamella
Hutton Vale Farm, Eden Valley
100% Shiraz
The Vinorium review by Stuart McCloskey
Tasted April 2025
"Despite being the first (globally) to sell out and a raft of critical acclaim (100-points for the 2022), I often find Lamella my least favourite of the quartet, which is a daft thing to declare as it’s still pretty, darn special. Perhaps 2023 has delivered the turning point, and will undoubtedly appeal to those seeking the plushest of plushness. From the first swirl to sniff - the heady perfume hooks you in. Intoxicating and addictive doesn’t cut the mustard. I am floored by the sheer intensity and aromatic complexity. Such an extraordinary bouquet. Addictive and would serve as the best medicine. It’s nigh on impossible to keep the superlatives under control. The intense floral character hits you first (peony and rose). Step into the most intense raspberry liqueur imaginable along with a serving of cinnamon toast, ripe mulberry and plum. I adore the sweet spicing which has a sense of exoticism. As with previous releases (and more airtime) – nori and layers of coal / graphite pervade my glass. Epic, in a word… The palate is wonderfully creamy and feels evocative and luxurious (very expensive, too). This takes fruit quality, depth and breadth to a level I have rarely encountered (and I’ve been sampling wine for over 25 years). Power and intensity does not fight to dominate. Instead, perfect harmony is delivered – intense fruit sits alongside suede-like tannins. The poise and detail are breathtaking. Obsessive in its presentation. Full figured and very, very sexy. Decanted for 24-hours (poured back into the bottle – cork left out) Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware. Drink now to 2050…"
The Wine Front review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 6 June 2025
'(MB): Initial taste and this was the wine that soared. Perfume and prettiness, sleek texture, incredible concentration and a drive and energy. The immediate attraction was there. A cool, Eden lift.
GW: Ripe raspberry, mint and sage, something of a maple syrup smell, exotic spice, slight cut capsicum and creamy oak. So, quite a bit going on here. Full-bodied, black and red fruit, a nutty toffee thing, firm chamois-like tannin, plenty of length with a cool ‘mineral’ feel to acidity. Nice wine. Distinct. 95+ points.
MB: A mesh of red berries, regional Aussie bush characters, white pepper, alpine herb and touches of mocha and salted liquorice. Incredibly dense but almost held to a medium bodied weight, a sense of quality, lacy tannin but with authority and a distinct persistence of complex, layered flavours of fruit and herbal inflection. A beautiful overall feel to the wine. It feels symphonic. Energetic too. 96 points.'
Halliday review by Dave Brookes
Published on 26 June 2025
'This year's Lamella, an Eden Valley wine, sees the majority of the shiraz sourced from the epic Stonegarden vineyard down near Springton, with a smaller proportion of fruit from Hutton Vale. Last year it was the other way around, but vintages are like that. The fruit, again at its core pure dark plum and blue fruits, has some redder shades in play, with plenty of exotic spice, meadow herbs, purple floral tones and that Eden Valley sage thing going on and the thinest wisp of spearmint rising from the depths. I love this wine's powdered granitic heft and mineral cadence, the wink of Campari and bunchy nuance done just right and its composed 'Eden Valleyness'. It's lovely.'
97/100
2023 The Relic
Hongell Family Vineyard, Krondorf
99% Shiraz 1% Viognier
The Vinorium review by Stuart McCloskey
Tasted April 2025
"This wine communicates another journey into the abyss. Even darker, deeper, more brooding than The Standish. The bouquet is reticent yet addictive. A chasm of iron ore, an underwater forest of sea kelp, sea salt, marine, iodine-like, the blackest liquorice imaginable, violet and bergamot. Dark fruits emerge from my glass, but at a glacial pace – Everything is shrouded in a blanket of warm earth and dusty spice. The palate is equally entrancing – it is so rare to sample such a commanding wine which delivers a sense of equilibrium (a skill that most winemakers can only dream of). The flavours run long and deep – saturating and epic in every sense. Minty! The palate feel is silky and slippery. Tannins and acidity are measured to perfection. An excellent iteration of this great wine, and with a magnificent life ahead of it. Perhaps the most commanding to date and will be around after I have popped my clogs (50-60+ years). That said, let’s revisit in a decade or so and reassess both our futures… Can I drink this now? Sure, but decant for at least 24-hours. Utterly captivating (give it the time it deserves) and puts many (more expensive) Aussie wines to shame. Decanted for 24-hours (poured back into the bottle – cork left out) Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware."
The Wine Front review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 6 June 2025
'Not a relic, yet. Maybe one day.
GW: I like this straight off. Blue and purple fruit, pepper and spice, perfume, roast beef. It’s medium to full-bodied, spicy with sweet blue fruit, Turkish apricot, a fine polishing sandpaper sort of feel to tannin, a coolness to acidity, meaty, crisp and lightly sappy to close on a finish of good length. A lighter vintage, though a charming one that drinks well. 94 points
MB: A pop and pour taste had me excited. Perfume, silky texture, glossiness, charm and drinkability. Fine tannin profile in a sheath of silky draw, white pepper, rosy floral lift, dried rose petal indeed, with touches of stone fruit in concentrated forest berry compote and tart, red plum character. Multi-dimensional in its feel with its extreme length, almost bouncy texture, grip of very fine, quality tannin and sense of refreshment to finish. A dusting of white pepper lingers. Concentration and compact nature. Class. 96 points.'
Halliday review by Dave Brookes
Published on 26 June 2025
'The Relic, 98.5/1.5% shiraz/viognier is sourced from the Hongell Family vineyard in Krondorf and immediately presents itself beautifully with dark and red plum, dark cherry and indeed, a stone fruit component that sits obliquely to the deeper fruit on display. A smaller percentage of whole bunch this year but an exotically spiced trail is still apparent in the wine, like fading footsteps in wet sand. There's a char siu meaty aspect in the mix, too, with dried meadow flowers and a real sense of place; the tannins are like powdered sand and there is a sapidness apparent in its cadence. There's only a handful of producers in the region that produce wines with this level of intricacy. It's like bonsai winemaking, capturing nature and all its harvest-borne detail with a sense of balance and proportion. Tremendous drinking.'
97/100
(The Standish Wine Company / www.standishwineco.com)