The Standish Wine Company Andelmonde Shiraz

Dan Standish is currently achieving something almost unique. He gets high ratings from the Parker reviewers, but also from those Australian reviewers who lean more towards European style wines. He seems to be the new star, following Peter Schell at Spinifex, who followed Dave Powell at Torbreck, who followed Rober O'Callaghan at Rockford. After all, winemaking is a fashion business, isn't it?

His operation is no compromise. All wines are Shiraz, mostly single vineyard. The wines are expensive - although maybe not for what they are - and there are no entry level wines. While I have not tasted the current releases so far, I thought I open an older bottle to see what this high praise is all about.

  

The 2012 Standish Andelmonde Shiraz comes from a vineyard in Greenock. The soil is ironstone gravels and schist over red clay. The label is white with nothing other than the name on the front.

In contrast, the wine in the glass is black. Blue and black berry aromas jump out. On the palate, there is the classic Shiraz dark plum flavour, but more so blueberry and blackberry. Spice and earthy notes add to the complexity. The fruit is pure, very dense and deep. The wine has a big frame, but surprisingly, it is not heavy. It has drive down the palate, and the intense fruit flavours deliver harmony and elegance. The tannins are firm, and velvety.

This wine is an amazing accomplishment. It delivers the unique intensity of Barossa Shiraz, but not at the expense of drinkability. This is a significant step forward for full-bodied Shiraz. 

Needless to say, the wine was fresh and will easily live another 20 years. As an aside, you would have noticed the wax seal. It was not difficult to push the cork screw through and in breaking the seal pull the cork out.  

 
Score: 98/+++